Medieval Duel Monsters
by Hiei's Vampire Kitten
Summary: A few familiar people from Domino go through a different dimension where Joey is a prince, Seto Kaiba is a peasant, and dragons are the horses of the Duel Monsters world. A little romance in here, too, for fun... ON HOLD
1. Missing Cards

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu- Gi- Oh. (Are you sure, miss?) Of course I'm sure! (Alright, then.. sign here.) Huh? Okay. *signs* (And here..) *signs* (And here..) Okay.. *signs* (And here..) *impatient* Okay. *signs* (Initial here..) Alright. *signs* (And here..) *signs* (Thank you for your time. *leaves*) Ahem.. okay, I have no idea what that was for. Anyway.. yeah..  
  
SIDE NOTE: A new ficcy that I hope will be a big hit with the press.. It's just an idea I had.. It seemed like a really neat idea to me, anyway. I'm not sure whether or not people will like this.. I pray. *gets down on knees and prays* Well, I hope you like it.. meep!!!!  
  
"This is the fourth rare dragon you have managed to lose this week!" Marik growled, glaring at the foolish Rare Hunters he had so mistakenly trusted with this. He menacingly flashed his Millennium Rod in their direction, and they meekly cowered at his feet.  
  
"We are so sorry, Master Marik!" one got down on his knees, humbling himself before the powerful man he called master.  
  
"Please, forgive us, Master Marik!" another begged, bending down at Marik's feet.  
  
"Get up off your knees, you pathetic fools!" Marik barked. "Do you really DARE to call yourselves Rare Hunters?! You are weaklings; cowering like pathetic beasts of burden under the whip! I would expect better potential from my servants."  
  
"Yes, of course, Master Marik!" they chorused, leaping to their feet.  
  
"Good. Now, as to the matter of the dragons.. tell me exactly how you managed to lose them."  
  
"We tracked down the duelist, as you said. We were prepared to duel him of course, and we defeated him, as you expected, Master Marik..," the Rare Hunter bit his lip nervously, but obediently continued. "But when we went to take his Red Eyes, he no longer had it."  
  
"No longer had it?" Marik spat. "Hmph. A likely story. Has it ever occurred to you that you tracked down the wrong duelist?! I cannot believe I trusted such imbeciles.."  
  
"Yes, Master Marik, but.. but he played his Red Eyes Black Dragon before we defeated him. I don't see any possible way we could have made a mistake."  
  
Marik was surprised. He had expected his Rare Hunters to have made a simple error; a slight flaw in tracking down the duelist. But they claimed that he had used the rare dragon. They could have been lying, but his Millennium Rod told him otherwise. It then occurred to Marik that the card might have been a fake.. but even then it couldn't have vanished into thin air! He turned sharply to his Rare Hunters again.  
  
"Tell me.. where is this duelist?"  
  
"I would expect him to be where we left him. After we found his card to be missing, we accused him of hiding it and tried to force him to give it to us. I don't believe he would be moving after that assault."  
  
"You've searched the area, then?"  
  
"Several times, Master Marik. It is nowhere to be found."  
  
"I don't BELIEVE this..," Marik pounded his fist on the throne he was perched on. He didn't understand how a rare Red Eyes Black Dragon could disappear into thin air!  
  
"If you wish it, Master Marik, we will search the area again.."  
  
"No. I have a better idea.." Marik grinned slyly. "We will ignore the card for now. I must think on it for a while. Until then, you must track down Yugi Moto so that I may claim his Puzzle. Do not fail me, servants."  
  
The Rare Hunters bowed humbly and left. Marik thought on the card, and how it had disappeared. It still puzzled him so..  
  
"Where did you hide it, Wheeler?" he said curiously.  
  
This question could not be answered just yet; only repeated. Joey Wheeler, still lying unconscious in the alleyway, was led to believe that the Rare Hunters had taken it. As for the other cards that had been lost, and Joey's Red Eyes, they had all disappeared to a time when they were alive. A flesh- and- blood army of a different dimension.  
  
SIDE NOTE: Meep! Sorry that was so short. I promise the next ones will be longer. I'm not sure if this'll be good enough.. well, it's sure to get interesting. I hope, at least. Well, please review A.S.A.P.!!!!!!!!! 


	2. An Odd Illness

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu- Gi- Oh.. ya dig?????  
  
SIDE NOTE: Meep!!!! I like saying meep!!! Okay, so I've gotta keep goin' on this ficcy here, as I am persistent on doing so, not that anyone really cares.. oh well, on with the ficcy!  
  
"Wheeler! Hey, Joey, wake up!"  
  
Joey's eyes flew open at the sound of his friend's voice. Tristan Taylor was hovering over him, a panicked expression on his face. Joey immediately sprung up and asked him what time it was.  
  
"Around ten in the morning, Wheeler," Tristan replied. "Your sister's waiting for you."  
  
"Aw, nuts, we gotta get there!"  
  
"No problem; I can get you there in a flash,"  
  
They sped off on Tristan's motorcycle towards the hospital. It didn't take too long to get there. But by the time they did, the doctor was about to leave. Serenity had refused to come out of the room until Joey got there.  
  
While that problem was being sorted out, a few duelists had another thing to worry about. This may seem like a familiar story: Their dragon cards were missing. And not just rare dragons, but all types of dragons had gone missing in the last twenty- four hours. Marik had now taken to investigating these strange disappearances. Perhaps it would explain the mysterious disappearance of Joey Wheeler's Red Eyes Black Dragon.  
  
It was strange, though. Many different dragons had disappeared; common ones, fused ones, even extremely rare ones. But Marik had two dragons rarer than any. Slifer the Sky Dragon and the Winged Dragon of Ra were the rarest creatures of the Duel Monsters world. If someone was secretly stealing these cards as he expected, then why haven't they gone after his rare creatures?  
  
That explanation hit him immediately. This thief obviously didn't know of the rare dragons. And another thought struck him: why steal only dragons? There were plenty of rare Duel Monsters out there; plenty rarer than most rare dragons. What was this thief after?  
  
'But perhaps it isn't a thief at all..,' he thought suddenly. 'After all, how could he strike so quickly the night my Rare Hunters sought to take the Red Eyes. Unless my Rare Hunters have lost their touch. but I wouldn't expect that; they were trained to act quickly. They wouldn't have missed this thief.'  
  
Marik soon noticed that he was becoming exhausted. He hadn't realized how long he had been searching. But he'd thought he'd only been out for a few hours. why was he suddenly so exhausted? He sensed the presence of a Millennium Item at this work.  
  
He soon became rather dizzy, and even a little sick. He could no longer see properly, and he was trembling uncontrollably. Carefully, he got to his knees, breathing heavily. He soon fell limp, eyes completely glazed over. It was almost as if his body was empty; his true being was no longer there.  
  
Of course, at this moment, he wasn't the only one having this problem. Several people were having the same thing happen to them. And the strange part was, most of them were missing a dragon card.  
  
Seto Kaiba, in his office, fell backwards in his chair, eyes glazed over, just as Marik's were. His little brother, Mokuba, collapsed himself as he rushed over to see what was wrong. Yugi Moto, in his grandfather's shop, went limp over the counter as his grandfather and his Yami screamed in a panic. Tea Gardner fell while dancing. Tristan and Joey also fell unconscious right in the hospital, where they were rushed to a room right away. Mai Valentine collapsed in a pile of her cards, which she had been going over. Something strange was happening, and in another dimension, things were going wrong as well..  
  
"My prince! My prince! Please, wake up, prince!"  
  
"Duke, two servants have collapsed in the hall!"  
  
"How can you possibly worry about servants at a time like this?! Our prince has fallen ill!"  
  
"But, Duke, it seems to be spreading! Several peasants and a mysterious maiden have collapsed in the village as well!"  
  
"Worry about them later! We must help our prince!"  
  
As all this was going on, the prince himself awoke, but the sight that met his eyes was not one he had expected to see..  
  
SIDE NOTE: Well, there's the next chappie!!! I'm sorry it was so short.. from now on, the chappies should be longer than this; at least I hope. Speaking of hopes, I hope you liked it, and I hope you review very soon!!!!!! 


	3. I'm Not a Prince!

Disclaimer: Gee, I don't know... DO I own Yu- Gi- Oh... guess not... okay, that was my corniest disclaimer yet... EVERYBODY APPLAUD!!! *audience applauds for corny disclaimer*  
  
SIDE NOTE: I'm updating!!! I'm updating!!!! I'm... retarded!!! Oh well. Nobody's perfect... *looks up at disclaimer* Gee, I'm in a really corny mood today, aren't I? I hope this fic's not corny!!!! EEP!!!! *runs off to make sure fic isn't corny*  
  
"My prince! Please, my prince! You must wake up!"  
  
This was an odd thing to wake up to. Joey had no idea what these people were talking about, and he had no idea where he was. He was even more baffled, because these people seemed to KNOW him. And as he opened his eyes, a wave of relief spread over their faces. A man in a red uniform shouted with joy.  
  
"My prince! Are you well, now, my prince?"  
  
"My prince?" Joey groaned and held his head. The man in the uniform shushed the man next to him, who was shouting with happiness and bouncing around. The man immediately fell silent.  
  
"Yes, my prince. Are you well?"  
  
"Yeah, sure, but... I'm not your prince."  
  
"Oh dear..." the man in the uniform began to whisper rapidly to the other man, who was nodding and agreeing with everything he said. Joey felt very irritated.  
  
"What are you freaks talkin' about?!" he demanded.  
  
"Oh, um, yes, you see, my prince..."  
  
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"  
  
"Um, yes, of course," the man agreed, but bowing his head and muttering under his breath. "My prince..."  
  
"I heard that!" Joey snapped. He stood up on his own now, glaring at the two men. "Now both of you just stop callin' me prince, stop lookin' at me like that, and tell me where I am!"  
  
"My prince..."  
  
"I warnin' you..."  
  
"Yes, of course... well, um, you see, you are in, uh, what is supposed to be YOUR palace in YOUR kingdom of Europe. This is YOUR Southern kingdom, by the way..."  
  
"I see. Now tell me... how can you be so sure that this is MY palace and MY kingdom? For that matter, how do you know it's even MY Southern kingdom?"  
  
"Well, I suppose we cannot be fully certain..."  
  
"You see? I could just be some stinkin' imposter for all you know... Oh. No."  
  
Joey realized he'd just made a mistake. Once again, Joey Wheeler opens his mouth, and something stupid comes out. He knew he was no prince... now he'd just convinced them that he was an imposter!  
  
"Well, you look very much like our prince, sir," the little man pointed out. "Very much. You have the same eyes, the same voice, and the same attitude. And from the looks of things, you're wearing his clothes."  
  
Joey looked down and blushed. He realized he was wearing what looked like blue spandex, a black belt with a sword in it, and a velvety shirt- type thing to top it all off. He almost looked disgusted.  
  
"Well, sir, there is only one way to find out if you are really our prince or not," the little uniformed man said with a nod. He turned to his silent companion, who nodded in agreement. "We must take you to the dragon." He finished.  
  
Joey gulped. What had he gotten himself into?  
  
"Come this way, sir,"  
  
The two little men led him down out of the palace to what looked like a stable. Joey sensed trouble the moment the little men opened the door... he was right. Inside was a dragon... a Red Eyes Black Dragon.  
  
SIDE NOTE: What a nutcase I am... ah, well. Gee, I would've hoped this one was longer... hmm. Well, I'm PRETTY SURE the next one will be longer than this. Sheesh, I can't get any more than three pages in!!!! 


	4. Dragon Troubles

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Yu- Gi- Oh!!!! Will you just stop asking me that?! GEEZ!!!  
  
SIDE NOTE: I'm such a cornball... Why in the world am I SO corny? You know what; you don't have to, but if you want to, tell me why I'm so darn corny. Maybe you have wise advice... Anyway, on with the ficcy! Knowing where I left you, you're probably happy to hear that. Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that Bakura also collapsed. Man, I forget about Bakura a lot! Guess that happens, 'cause he's not mentioned a lot in the show, so sorry Bakura- fans!!! He's in there!!!  
  
'It's huge...,' Joey thought to himself. 'WAY huge... I mean, sure, I've seen it before... but I've never faced it. Man... I'm toast!'  
  
The dragon stretched its wings, yawned, and squinted at the three figures in the doorway. Sniffing the air, it gave a roar that nearly shattered Joey's eardrums. He shrank back in spite of himself.  
  
"Well, here we are," the uniformed man began to back out of the doorway.  
  
"Wait... where're ya goin'?"  
  
"Well, obviously, we can't stay here," the little man laughed heartily. "The dragon only trusts its master... and that is not us. It should be you, if you truly are our prince. We will leave you here to test yourself, but if you are not our prince, the dragon shall kill you. Good luck, sir."  
  
And they left poor Joey alone to face the Red Eyes. He gulped and faced the huge creature, but stood back as far as possible. The dragon looked at him curiously. Joey felt relieved that he wasn't close to it.  
  
But suddenly, to his surprise, the dragon unlatched its stall and approached him. Joey felt ready to faint as it drew closer. Soon he felt its hot breath on his face, and he closed his eyes, ready to be killed.  
  
Yes, he could almost feel it now... the flames of the dragon's breath; the claws and teeth as they tore into his skin; the wetness of its tongue.... Wait...  
  
He opened his eyes. The dragon wasn't attacking him at all! It had surprisingly recognized him as master, and it was licking his face like a happy dog. Joey was both relieved and astonished at the same time. He gladly gave the dragon a pat on the nose.  
  
The stable doors opened slowly, and the smiling faces of the uniformed little man and his quiet companion appeared.  
  
"Well, it would seem you were our prince after all. However, I do believe a bit of your memory was lost in your strange but brief illness. Let us refresh your memory for you, my prince. My prince Jonan."  
  
Joey scowled, but he couldn't tell him not to call him that. He had somehow proven himself to be the prince, so he was bound to it. But the name irritated him, so he was a bit edgy as he asked the little man to refresh his memory.  
  
"I am your forever- faithful right- hand. Your Duke, if you will. The Duke Daniel of Florence; the name of your country, my prince. This is my assistant, the ever- silent Messenger. You see, he is the very reason that messengers no longer announce their messages to the receiver. Born without a voice, was he. But he is still ever- faithful and the fastest messenger in all of Europe. Not sure what his name is, as he can never tell us, but we like to call him Arrow. A little phrase to describe his speed, sire."  
  
"I see," Joey answered flatly, still stroking the dragon. "And can you explain to me how this dragon can actually tell I'm the real guy?"  
  
"Ah, the dragons, my prince," Daniel sighed wistfully. "They have a better sense of nature and of beings than any other creature alive. There is something in their intuition that knows. If you had not truly been our prince, this dragon would have eaten you alive. Perhaps you do not seem like our prince, but deep inside you, there must be something so alike to him that this dragon trusts you. Speaking of dragons... I believe it is time for your morning ride."  
  
"Ride?"  
  
"Yes, of course. I suppose I must tell you this... we here in Europe ride our dragons... those of us who have them, of course," he blushed, but cleared his throat and continued. "The rich and the royal are usually the only ones who own dragons. You should be quite proud... yours is the only Red Eyes Black Dragon in all of Europe."  
  
"And I ride this dragon... every morning?"  
  
"Yes. If you are nervous, then please, my prince, do not be," Daniel hastily assured him. "Draiken is faithful and gentle; he will sense this and do his best to show you that there is nothing to be afraid of."  
  
"Draiken?"  
  
"Yes. Every dragon needs a name. They instantly recognize it as their own once they hear it, being the quick- learning, intelligent creatures that they are. This one knew it the day it was born. Now, my prince... are you ready for the ride?"  
  
Joey was still uneasy, but he gulped and nodded.  
  
"Very well. Let us go, then."  
  
Up in the air, atop the dragon, Joey realized that it was much like riding a horse, once you thought about it. Except for the fact that there were no reins to guide the dragon; no saddle whatsoever; and he was also up in the air; it was very much like riding a horse. It soon became easy for him to steer the Red Eyes left and right, up higher, or down lower. He began to relax and enjoy the flight. The dragon, sensing that he was now comfortable, rose higher into the air to enjoy a few aerial tricks. These too, Joey enjoyed. He was almost sorry when they landed.  
  
"You see, my prince? It is not so bad."  
  
"Eh, shut up. I still need some explainin' here, so let's get to it, alright?"  
  
"Of course. Let us settle your dragon for the afternoon and we shall continue."  
  
Once the dragon was settled in, they headed straight for town. Here, Joey was assured that he would find some answers. And he got more than the Duke had promised him. You see, their first stop was the area in which a wealthy peasant lived, a peasant who looked quite familiar to Joey.  
  
"This is the home of Master Kabat, the wealthiest peasant in Florence; perhaps even in all of Europe, but that has yet to be answered. He believes that he is the only owner of a Blue Eyes White Dragon in all of Europe, even though it has been proven that two wealthy merchants in Latvia bargained for one back in France. Oh dear... there seems to be a bit of confusion going on there."  
  
Joey looked closely. There definitely was a bit of confusion. A group of peasants were gathered around the front door, whispering and some even screaming. Joey insisted that they go down for a closer look.  
  
Once down there, they questioned the peasants. Apparently, a group of merchants had come by to bargain for the dragon, but Kabat, seemingly confused, had threatened them and told them to leave him alone. They said that he must have forgotten who he was. This, to Joey, sounded familiar. He went over and knocked on the door.  
  
"I TOLD YOU ALL TO LEAVE ME ALONE!" a voice screamed on the other side. "I HAVE NO USE TALKING TO PEOPLE WHOM I DON'T KNOW!"  
  
"Just as I thought," Joey muttered. Then he spoke to the voice, which could only be Seto Kaiba's. "Hey, Kaiba, it's Joey."  
  
"Wheeler?"  
  
"Yep. It's me alright. I know I'm probably the last person on Earth you'd wanna talk to, but..."  
  
He was cut off by the door opening in his face. Seto Kaiba stood there, dressed in what appeared to be a brown- cloth- shirt, and also the embarrassingly familiar tights, although these were green.  
  
"Thank Duel Monsters you know who I am! I have been here for hours with nobody to talk to at all, and I normally don't want to talk to anybody... I think I've lost my mind in this nightmare..."  
  
"You're not the only one. Man, I have no clue how I got here!"  
  
"Same here. I can't even find Mokuba... it's driving me mad. And what is it with these people trying to bargain with me for my Blue Eyes White Dragon? Some people would just say, 'it's only a card.' But these people are driving me crazy!"  
  
"I hate to burst your bubble, Kaiba... but it's not a card they're after, it's the real dragon,"  
  
"What ARE you talking about, Wheeler?"  
  
Joey craned his neck over to the side. Just as he'd suspected, there was large stable- type thing next to the house.  
  
"Follow me,"  
  
Kaiba followed him to the back, where Joey opened the stable doors and revealed a real Blue Eyes White Dragon. Speechless, Kaiba showed himself back to the house in complete silence.  
  
"What in the name of Duel Monsters is this place, Wheeler?"  
  
"Well, it looks like we're in Europe, from the explanations I've been gettin.' I could explain a bit to ya, if you're prepared to sit down for a while. It's a long story."  
  
"I'm prepared. I just want to know where the heck we are. Come inside. I haven't got the layout of the house memorized yet; we might have to hunt for a place to sit for a while."  
  
"Alright. Let's just get this over with."  
  
And the two entered the house. This was going to be a long day...  
  
SIDE NOTE: Yippee!!! It was longer than three pages!!!! *sniffs* I'd like to thank all the little people that I had to step on to get here... sorry if I was wearing high heels, guys. Sheesh, I'm such a cornball... oh well, we can't have everything in life. Anyway, hope you liked it!!!!! 


	5. Explanations

Disclaimer: Get it into your thick skulls, people. I. Don't. Own. Yu. Gi. Oh. Okay? (I'm talking to the authorities who keep asking me this question. Haven't I answered it enough?!)  
  
SIDE NOTE: Proud to be cornball. Oh yeah. Anyway, new chappie... I think this one has become my favorite story to work on, ya know? Okay then, here ya go!!!  
  
"Alright, Wheeler. Start talking."  
  
Joey and Kaiba had finally made it to what was hopefully a living room. It had taken them a little over half an hour to find it, and now Kaiba was ready for some answers. He was particularly wondering why there was a real, flesh- and- blood Blue Eyes White Dragon next to the strange house he had woken up in.  
  
"Well... where would ya like me to start?"  
  
Kaiba sighed in frustration. "I don't know... the beginning. Tell me why there is a real dragon here."  
  
"Apparently, we've landed in some different time or dimension where the dragons are alive. I guess those rich enough own them; ride them, too, I guess."  
  
"Riding a dragon? A live dragon? Wheeler, holograms are easy to control, but these things are real... how are you supposed to know whether or not they want to buck you off?"  
  
"The dragons trust whoever owns them. Completely. They don't trust anyone else for any reason."  
  
"Then I'm not going near that Blue Eyes. I'm obviously not the real owner of the dragon, though I might look like him. There is NO WAY that dragon would ever trust me. I am definitely not the same person."  
  
"Don't jump to conclusions, Kaiba. I, uh... kinda had a run- in with a dragon myself. For some reason, it recognized me as its owner. I think that maybe, whoever the real owner is, I must've had somethin' so much in common with him that the dragon trusted me. I'm guessin' the same goes for you."  
  
"Interesting theory, but I'm going to have to take your word for it. I'd rather keep all my limbs, thank you. Now... as to who these people are... care to give out any information you might have on that subject?"  
  
"Let's see... I guess your guy is some wealthy peasant; goes by the name of Kabat."  
  
"Kabat," Kaiba said flatly. "What kind of idiotic name is Kabat? It sounds like a vegetable. Sure, being wealthy sounds perfectly alright to me, but did he seriously have to sound like a vegetable?"  
  
Joey shrugged. "Beats me. Personally, I've never thought about that until now, but I guess it does sound like a vegetable." He grinned. "Thanks for tellin' me."  
  
Kaiba scowled. "Listen Wheeler, I'm already frustrated enough without you bothering me about some stupid name. So, who's your guy supposed to be, hmmm?"  
  
"Some prince named Jonan." He blushed. He really hated that name.  
  
"A prince," Kaiba repeated dully. "Your guy is a prince. A prince with a name that doesn't sound like a vegetable. Tell me Wheeler, are you lying to me so you can prove that you got the better end this time, or is this guy really a prince?"  
  
"The better end?! Kaiba, seriously, doesn't that name sound the least bit stupid to you?"  
  
"Joey, honestly, it can't be any worse than sounding like you just came from the produce aisle."  
  
"Good point. Well, now that that's settled is there anything else you'd like ta know?"  
  
"Just one more. Have you found anyone else who has lost their memory, so to speak?"  
  
Joey shook his head. "You're the only one so far. But we don't know if anybody else besides us is here, anyway."  
  
"Good point, for once," Kaiba said, looking surprised. "I see you've decided to start using your brain, after all."  
  
"You're hilarious, Kaiba," Joey said flatly. "I'm rollin' in the aisles."  
  
"Well, I think so."  
  
Joey sighed. "We have to look for them anyway, you know. We still aren't sure if they're here or not."  
  
"I know that, Wheeler. After all, we don't have the same IQ."  
  
"Could you stop bein' so sarcastic for once? This is really freaky!"  
  
"Which is why I'm trying to lighten the mood. If you can't show a little humor, then I will. I do agree with you, but we have no idea where to look. I'd say our best bet is to just let them find us."  
  
"Alright, I'll go wit' that one. For now we'll just have to play the role of these guys... and we might as well have some fun doin' it."  
  
"Now you're talkin', Wheeler." Kaiba grinned mischievously. "Fine. So we agree to report anyone else we might find?"  
  
Joey nodded. "Right. See ya later."  
  
Joey left the little house to find the crowd gone and the two little men running up to him anxiously.  
  
'These guys are WAY too fussy,' Joey thought irritably as they looked him all around to make sure he was alright.  
  
"What happened, my prince?" Daniel asked him.  
  
"Nothin.' He'd lost his memory, too. Nothin' to worry about."  
  
The two little men gave a sigh of relief, and then led him away from the town.  
  
"We still have much to see, my prince," the little Duke said excitedly. "We must show you around the palace!"  
  
Joey looked at them in disbelief. "The whole friggin' palace?!" He looked up at the large building in complete disbelief. That thing was HUGE. It was about ten times as big as the Blue Eyes back in the town, and they had to look through every single room?!  
  
"Yes, of course," Daniel replied heartily. "With your memory gone, my prince, you could get lost around the palace. We must show you around so you do not get confused. We will reintroduce you to all your servants and soldiers as well."  
  
"I see. Tell me, now... how many rooms are in that palace?"  
  
"Three- hundred and seventy- two, my prince; not counting the guest room that is being built in the third hall."  
  
"And how many servants?"  
  
"Three for each room, not including the guest room, but we shall hire more once it is finished."  
  
"How many is that?"  
  
"Excuse me... I've never been so very good at math. Arrow, do you know?"  
  
"But the guy can't talk! How can ya..."  
  
Arrow moved his arms around in a strange pattern. Daniel nodded as if he understood.  
  
"Thank you, Arrow. There is a total of one- thousand, one- hundred, sixteen servants in the palace. And if you'd like to know the number of soldiers, we counted them last week. You have an army of fifty- thousand soldiers."  
  
"WHOA! Hold it right there! You are NOT introducing me to..." He paused, doing the math in his head. "... Fifty- one- thousand, one- hundred, sixteen people! I don't have that much time!"  
  
"It won't take very long, my prince."  
  
"ARE YOU STUPID?! IT'LL TAKE ALL NIGHT!"  
  
"Oh, come now, my prince. We will sum it up, so it won't take very long at all. Perhaps a few hours, yes, but certainly not all night. Do not worry."  
  
"I'm going to kill you if it takes longer than that."  
  
"Um... well, my prince, you actually have the authority to do that, but I wouldn't recommend it. I have very important duties, and I take them seriously. It would be most appreciated if you'd spare my life, my prince."  
  
"Fine. Just do me one favor, alright?"  
  
"Yes, my prince?"  
  
"Don't call me prince."  
  
SIDE NOTE: Yippee!!!! I think I like this chappie... well, I like every chappie, but, oh well! They ARE mine, anyway. Oh, um, in case you're wondering, "Where's the king?" then, there is no king. I prefer to have the prince be the supreme ruler, you know? King kinda sounds dumb to me... okay, then, next chappie should come real soon, kay? Ja ne! 


	6. Servants

Disclaimer: Dragario: Hey, Sariah, do you own Yu- Gi- Oh?  
  
Sariah: No, I don't. Who's asking?  
  
Dragario: Some guy on the phone. He says you never signed a contract.  
  
Sariah: *fumes; grabs phone* You say I never signed a contract, huh?! Well, I did! What's that? Yeah, sure, I'd be willing to testify that in front of a judge. Yeah? Well, okay. Yes, I have a lawyer. Okay, then, I'll see you in court. Oh? One more thing? Well, what is it? *pauses; listens* Yes, he is. *pauses; grows angry* SCREW YOU!!!!! *slams phone down*  
  
Dragario: What'd he say?  
  
Sariah: He asked me if my lawyer was Joey Wheeler. *storms off*  
  
SIDE NOTE: Um... I have nothing to say except thanks to all my reviewers. I wouldn't continue this without you. On with the ficcy!!!!  
  
Tristan Taylor awoke to the sound of shouting. He got up and rubbed his head. Tea was already standing up next to him, glaring at the crowd pf people muttering in a panic, not paying any attention to them.  
  
"No consideration," she muttered. Tristan looked at the crowd too. They really didn't seem to care that they had been unconscious a few seconds ago. All of them were dressed in the same type of clothing; with white shirts and dresses and brown slippers and belts. After a moment, Tristan realized that he and Tea were wearing the same thing, too.  
  
"What's going on?" he wondered.  
  
Tea was still angry. She didn't understand why these people weren't even the least bit concerned about them. It wasn't until she heard a shout that she realized why.  
  
"My prince! My prince! Please, wake up, prince!"  
  
"Prince?"  
  
Tristan shrugged. He didn't know either.  
  
The crowd rushed over to see what was happening. Tristan and Tea remained where they were, trying to gather their thoughts.  
  
"Do you get the feeling that we're not in the right time zone?" Tristan asked Tea.  
  
Tea nodded. "Seriously... a prince? And we're wearing weird clothes..."  
  
A few seconds later, there was a furious shout, and the crowd came rushing back, giggling.  
  
"The prince is so silly," one young girl giggled. "Something must have addled his mind."  
  
A man in a uniform came around the corner and shooed them off, shouting at them to get back to work. Tea and Tristan ignored him, however. They went to see what the shouting was all about. They were surprised at what they saw around the corner.  
  
"What in the world is Joey wearing?" Tristan whispered, trying to hold back laughter.  
  
"It looks like spandex."  
  
The two snickered. Joey walked off with two little uniformed men, looking rather shaken. Tristan and Tea were still struggling to hold back their laughter.  
  
"Hey! You two servants, get back to work!"  
  
Tea whirled around furiously. Her eyes flashed as she faced the man.  
  
"Servant?! I should think not! You can't order me around however you like!"  
  
"I think I can. Get back to work!"  
  
"Why you little..." Tristan clamped his hand over her mouth, laughing nervously.  
  
"Um, right, back to work!" He dragged her off around the corner. She slapped his hand off of her mouth.  
  
"Tristan, what do you think you're doing?!"  
  
"We have got to keep a low profile!" Tristan whispered harshly. "You can't go shouting at people like that! Just let them think that we are who they think, alright? I mean, did you see Joey back there? He probably let something slip."  
  
Tea pouted, but agreed. The two shuffled off to find out whatever it was that they were supposed to do. While all that was happening, Bakura awoke in a dark place...  
  
'Oh, it's only a closet,' he thought, rubbing his eyes and stretching. 'My, my, this doesn't seem to be very familiar... I wonder if any of the others are here. Oh dear...'  
  
The evil spirit had suddenly awoken inside his Millennium Ring and took over. He examined the small space he was in, and decided that it was of no importance. He slipped outside.  
  
"So, the traitor has decided to escape his punishment?" the evil spirit looked calmly to the side. Five men in uniforms were glaring at him, seemingly threatening to shove him back inside. Hmph. He would endure anything, if he had to, but inside, little Bakura cowered in fear. The weakling.  
  
"What is it exactly that you mean by, traitor?" he asked calmly.  
  
"What, feigning innocence now, traitor?" one guard sneered. "I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you. You committed a sin, and you must pay for it."  
  
"A sin?" the spirit laughed a little. He wasn't one to be afraid of anything much. He would just send these men to the Graveyard like everyone else he met along the way. He walked past them in a cool manner.  
  
"Hey! Where do you think you're going, traitor?"  
  
"I am afraid I do not understand your idiotic babbling. Perhaps you should explain it to me, and if I find the reason to be relevant, I shall spare your miserable lives."  
  
The guards suddenly laughed. The thief wasn't particularly fond of those who mocked him, but he wanted answers first.  
  
"Alright, you. We'll humor you, for now. If you must know, you were caught trying to steal the prince's prized dragon. That usually would mean direct death, but the prince was kind enough to take pity on you... this one time. You should just be grateful and serve your punishment."  
  
The spirit snorted in disgust. "THAT is your pitiful reasoning? I have done nothing to steal your foolish prince's dragon, and if I had I would not be having this discussion with you. As for the pity, I take no pity from anyone. So, having not satisfied my question, I shall have to banish you to the Shadow Realm!"  
  
He reached for his deck, but he found it was gone. Completely gone! The spirit began to panic in spite of himself. The guards merely chuckled.  
  
"Shadow Realm, eh? I'm beginning to think you were mad when you tried to steal the dragon... let's take you to the prince, shall we? He'll figure out what to do with you..."  
  
For once in his life, the evil thief felt helpless as the guards grabbed him by the arms and dragged him away. He didn't like to feel helpless.  
  
They walked down a long hall that was dotted with what appeared to be servants, wearing the same thing he was. It occurred to him that must be a servant as well.  
  
'I told you, didn't I? You never listen to me, do you?'  
  
'Shut up, Bakura! I do not need to listen to a foolish child such as you!'  
  
'But I told you not to mess around. I noticed that our deck was gone long before you did.'  
  
'WHAT?! You fool! Why didn't you tell me?!'  
  
'I did, and several times. But you never listen to me, do you? You should listen to me more often, spirit.'  
  
'Shut up, Bakura! I do not need to listen to you!'  
  
'Fine, but you might want to consider it.'  
  
The thief grumbled and made a mental note to listen to Bakura more often.  
  
"We're almost there, servant," one of the guards informed him. "You'll be facing a new punishment in no time at all."  
  
The spirit grumbled irritably. They passed down another corridor and out of the corner of his eye he spotted two servants that looked familiar to him. They looked him straight in the eye.  
  
"Tristan and... Tea?"  
  
Tristan and Tea had figured out where they were supposed to be. But the other servants worked in threes... and they were working in twos. They puzzled over this until they were informed that their third partner had tried to steal the prince's prized dragon and was being punished. He would return to work later.  
  
The two had been working for a long time when they suddenly saw another servant being dragged down the corridor. He turned and looked at them, surprised. They stared him straight in the eye, and turned to each other.  
  
"Bakura?"  
  
SIDE NOTE: Sariah: Yippee!!!! Meep!!!!!  
  
Dragario: *yawns* What? I was sleeping.  
  
Sariah: I finished it!! Yippee!!!!!!  
  
Dragario: That's nice. *snores*  
  
Sariah: *-__-* Barrel of monkeys, that one. *sighs* Well, hope you like!!! Please review A.S.A.P.!!!!! 


	7. Good Ol' Bakura

Disclaimer: Sariah: KAIBA!!!!! THE DISCLAIMER IS ON!!!!!  
  
Kaiba: Yes ma'am. *bounces outside, still trying to untie himself*  
  
Sariah: Okay, then. Ready?  
  
Kaiba: Yes ma'am. *clears throat* Sariah doesn't own Yu- Gi- Oh... and Joey is a better lawyer than I am.  
  
Sariah: Thanks, Kaiba. Well, you heard the man! Let's get on with it!  
  
SIDE NOTE: No ideas. On with the fic!  
  
"Now let's get along to the Great Hall... there will be one servant missing, as we caught him trying to steal your prized dragon the other day, m- m... never mind."  
  
Joey smirked. The little man had been on the brink of calling him prince again. He was glad that his little threat had done its job.  
  
"I see," he looked up. He saw two guards dragging along an albino haired boy along the hall. An albino- haired boy that looked very familiar.  
  
"Bakura?!" he blurted out his name, causing the helpless boy to look up. His eyes widened in disbelief.  
  
"Is there a problem?" the little Duke asked the guards.  
  
"Yeah," one replied. "I think the little servant here has lost his mind. He was muttering something about some Shadow Realm."  
  
Joey shook his head. 'Great,' he thought. 'The ol' whack- job Bakura is back.'  
  
"THIS is your prince?" Bakura snorted in disgust. "This IDIOT?"  
  
"Hey! Watch it, man! I can have you killed, ya know!" Joey growled at the boy. Bakura immediately fell silent.  
  
"Well, if you are asking the prince to make a decision on another punishment, then I'm afraid that isn't possible," Daniel shook his head sadly. "The prince has lost his memory, and we are refreshing it. Perhaps you should put the servant back to work; he will come around."  
  
The guards released Bakura, who thankfully scrambled around to the other side of the hall. Joey immediately followed him around to the back where he saw Tristan and Tea.  
  
"Joey, there you are," Tea stood up and dusted herself off. "Nice outfit."  
  
"Can it, servant," Joey gave a smirk. Tea grumbled and sat back down, whereas Tristan stood up and smiled.  
  
"How've you been doin'?" Joey asked his friend.  
  
"Uh..." Tristan turned around and looked at the spotless hall. "Cleaning. And I've been doing a pretty good job, too."  
  
"I see... man, this prince should learn to live a little. This place is WAY too clean!"  
  
"Oh, boys!" Tea rolled her eyes, then looked motherly at Bakura. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I wouldn't bother, Tea," Joey looked disgustedly at Bakura. "Psycho Bakura is back."  
  
"No way! I thought I got rid of that thing!" Tristan whirled around to stare disbelievingly at Bakura.  
  
"Fool; the Item is forever drawn to my spirit," the brown- eyed boy snapped. "As long as I inhabit Bakura's body, it can never be separated from me."  
  
"Figures," Tea rolled her eyes again and drew away from Bakura.  
  
"Well, then," Tristan turned back to his friend. "How've you been doing?"  
  
Joey yawned. "I've been talking to servants for the last half hour. Do have any idea how many servants there are?!"  
  
"Never crossed my mind. How many?"  
  
"Exactly one- thousand, one- hundred, sixteen! And so far, I've only talked to twelve."  
  
"Wow...," Tristan did the math in his head. "You've got, like, one- thousand, one- hundred, four left!"  
  
"Thanks a lot, Tristan," Joey muttered darkly.  
  
"You're welcome," Tristan replied brightly. "So, are there any other people here from Domino, besides us?"  
  
"One, so far, that I know of," Joey answered, yawning again. "Kaiba's supposed to be some rich peasant."  
  
"Have you talked to him?"  
  
"Yeah, and he ain't happy, let me tell you. His name sounds like a vegetable... Kabat." Joey smirked.  
  
"Poor Kaiba," Tristan grinned.  
  
The little Duke came running into the hall.  
  
"My prince! I mean... oh, my, I did mess up, didn't I?"  
  
"Eh, whatever. I'll let ya off this time. What's goin' on?"  
  
"I suppose you have familiarized yourself with these servants?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," he turned to his friend and shrugged. "Guess I'd better go."  
  
"Come along; we have much to see!" the little Duke bounced along the hall, dragging Joey along with him. Joey turned and waved to his friends as he left.  
  
SIDE NOTE: All done with that chappie. Though it was rather difficult to do, I enjoyed it. Hope you did too!! Please review A.S.A.P.!!!!!!!!! 


	8. Since When am I a Knight?

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu- Gi- Oh... there'd be WAY too much of Joey in it if I did, though.  
  
SIDE NOTE: Sariah: Sorry for keeping all of you hanging for so long!! I had writer's block... *grumbles* Which should DIE. Well, thanks to all the people who reviewed!!!! Anyways, on with the ficcy!!!  
  
Yugi awoke suddenly atop something that at the moment he couldn't quite guess what it was. He heard several voices, but none of them sounded familiar at all. He opened his eyes finally to see what the commotion was about.  
  
His eyes widened in shock as he realized he was sitting atop a dragon... Curse of Dragon, to be exact. He also noticed several much taller men were huddled around him and whispering. Yugi noticed that they each wore a sort of black armor with two red gems that greatly resembled eyes at the neck. It took him a moment to notice that he was wearing the same thing.  
  
"You alright, Yin? You just collapsed."  
  
"Yin? And what's with the dragon?"  
  
The men looked at each other in surprise.  
  
"Oh, dear. Come on, Yin, don't tell me you don't remember your old buddy Smithen!"  
  
"Smithen?" Yugi shook his head. "I'm sorry, I don't know you. And what's with this Yin thing you're talking about?"  
  
"That's you! Remember your brother, Yang? He wasn't always the lightest of the family... your family. Remember? He disappeared a while ago."  
  
"I don't remember anybody named Yang. I'm sorry, but I just don't know who you are."  
  
"Well, Thresher seems to know you."  
  
Yugi looked down at the dragon. "Is this Thresher?"  
  
"Yeah! You got that down. Remember that dragons don't trust anyone but their master, and since Thresher hasn't torn you to pieces yet, you've got to be Yin. There can't be any other explanation for that."  
  
"Well, I guess..."  
  
The man named Smithen sighed. "Look, if you still don't remember, then we'll just wait until the prince comes by. I don't know why, but he's practically reintroducing himself to us... maybe he'll explain it when he comes by. Anyway, we'll ask him what to do. He'll know. The prince always knows."  
  
Yugi looked very confused, but nodded. "Okay... I don't even know this prince, but, okay, if you say so."  
  
The men shook their heads sadly.  
  
Joey walked along tiredly, yawning in his boredom. He'd finished reintroducing himself to every servant in the palace, and now they were headed to the knight's quarters. He could care less about the knights. He just wanted to get to bed. After seeing his own gargantuan bed, he couldn't wait to fall fast asleep on top of it.  
  
Daniel noticed his exhausted face and tried to be optimistic.  
  
"Don't worry, my... don't worry." The little man cleared his throat. "We only have to speak with the knights, and it will be over. Besides, your best knight is also your most loyal companion. Perhaps you shall regain your memory once you see him."  
  
"Whatever. Let's get this over with so I can sleep."  
  
They entered the large hall where the knights were all huddled around a small and familiar figure. Joey's eyes widened as he lay eyes on the small wild- haired knight standing in the middle. The little knight spotted Joey as well, and his eyes widened as well.  
  
"J..."  
  
Joey raised a finger to his lips and gave him a look that said "We'll talk about this later." Yugi nodded as all the knights stood at attention.  
  
"Come along, now." Daniel pulled Joey along the line until they got to Yugi. Then he stood back proudly.  
  
"This," he said. "Is Yin, the best knight of the force. He is also a good friend of yours. Do you remember?"  
  
"You're telling me the prince lost his memory, too?!" a knight shrieked. Daniel looked over questioningly.  
  
"Who here has lost his memory?"  
  
Every knight pointed directly at Yugi. Yugi blushed slightly.  
  
"No need to point..." he said sheepishly. Daniel shook his head and sadly tutted.  
  
"Dear me, this will not do at all. Not at all."  
  
"Well, obviously, we need to catch up on a few things," Joey smiled. "Don't we?" Daniel looked up brightly.  
  
"An excellent suggestion, my pr... um, never mind." He cleared his throat and went on. "Well, now that you've been reintroduced to everyone, I believe it is time for you to get your rest. And perhaps Yin shall join us?"  
  
"Um, okay..." Yugi looked at the Curse of Dragon next to him. "But, what am I going to do about, um, Thresher?"  
  
"Oh..." Daniel looked towards the stables. "Well, of course you'll have to put him away for the night. You'll find his stall quite easily."  
  
Yugi didn't hesitate in putting the dragon away, though he had some difficulty doing so. A few minutes afterwards, he was accompanying Joey to his spacious chambers.  
  
"So you're a prince, huh?" Yugi looked up at the ceiling, wondering how far away it was. "Hmm. That's really weird."  
  
"Tell me about it." Joey groaned, flopped back onto the bed, and rubbed his temples. "I spent over four hours talking to over a thousand servants, three of which happen to have 'lost their memory', so to speak."  
  
"Oh? Let me guess, one of them is Tea."  
  
"How'd you guess that one?"  
  
"I don't know... I just kind of imagined her reaction to being called a servant." Yugi smiled. "Who else?"  
  
"Well, Tristan is one of 'em, and the psycho Bakura is back, and he's one of 'em, too."  
  
"Didn't Tristan get rid of his Millennium Ring?"  
  
"Apparently it's drawn to his spirit, or something like that." Joey shrugged. "Bakura's words, not mine."  
  
"Ah. So, have you found anyone else besides servants who came from Domino?"  
  
"Yeah, actually. Kaiba's here too; supposed to be some rich peasant." Joey yawned. "Speakin' of Kaiba, I'm supposed to tell him about this... we had a little talk a while ago." Joey yawned again and let his eyes close.  
  
"You're tired, Joey. I'll leave now and let you rest, okay?"  
  
Joey didn't reply. He was already fast asleep. Yugi smiled and left.  
  
"I hope I can find my way back to the knight's chamber." He muttered while walking down the hall. "Otherwise I'll just have to sleep IN the hall." He chuckled. That had definitely been an awkward experience.  
  
SIDE NOTE: Sariah: Yay!!! It was longer this time!!!!! Please review my fic A.S.A.P.!!!! *looks at sleeping Joey* Isn't he the most precious thing in the world when he's asleep?  
  
Knights: *come running in* THE PRINCE IS UNDER ATTACK!!!!!!  
  
Sariah: *O.O* GAH!!!! WHERE'D THEY COME FROM?! *runs from knights* GUYS, THIS IS MY FIC!!!! AH!!!!! 


	9. Switching Places

Disclaimer: Marik: Sariah doesn't own Yu- Gi- Oh!!!  
  
Sariah: *doesn't look up from seventeen magazine* Good boy. Here's a spiced peach. *tosses spiced peach*  
  
Marik: Yummy!!! *gobbles up spiced peach*  
  
SIDE NOTE: Sariah: I'm sorry to all you people who were waiting. Writer's block was attacking me again. ^_^' But I'm back!!!! And somebody said they found it funny when they pictured Yugi sitting on a dragon. ^_^ It's a funny thing to picture, isn't it? And this fic can be serious, funny, or anything anybody wants, so that's a good thing!!! Thanks for reviewing!!!  
  
The sun was rising. Seto Kaiba was trying to muster up the courage to walk inside the stall of the Blue Eyes White Dragon, but every time he looked inside, there was the living, breathing monster that could blow him to bits with its White Lightning.  
  
'Sure, Wheeler did say that it would trust you, but... oh, who am I kidding? It's going to rip you to shreds!'  
  
"You'll take my word for it, huh?" Seto Kaiba involuntarily jumped when he heard the voice. He was even more alert this morning than usual. He gave a sigh of relief when he saw Joey standing there, a smirk on his face.  
  
"I'm a businessman, Wheeler," he snapped. "I'm not one to be afraid of something."  
  
"It's a living dragon," Joey pointed out.  
  
"Yes, but... still, you DID say it would trust me."  
  
"And since when do you decide to listen to me?"  
  
Kaiba growled in response. "Curse you, Joey! Why do you have start being smart today?!"  
  
"Hey, watch it, Kaiba; I could have your head chopped off. I am the prince here, ya know."  
  
"Why are you out here, anyway?" Kaiba decided to change the subject, as the current one was putting him in an uncomfortable spot.  
  
"To tell ya the truth, I found some others from Domino."  
  
"Oh? Why don't you come inside; I believe I've found where everything is in there."  
  
Joey agreed to come inside. As soon as they found the sitting room, which took much less time than the last, Joey began to explain. Kaiba listened closely.  
  
"I'm afraid I haven't found Mokuba," Joey began. "I wish I could say that I have."  
  
Kaiba's eye twitched slightly, but he said: "Fine. Go on."  
  
"But I did fid Yugi, Bakura, Tristan, and Tea. They're all in the palace."  
  
"And how many have come across a dragon?"  
  
"Just Yugi, I think," Joey covered his next sentence in sarcasm. "And, oh what a surprise, it didn't rip him to pieces! How shockin'."  
  
Kaiba muttered something about strangling him. "So you're sure these dragons only trust their masters?"  
  
"Yes, Kaiba. Sheesh; why're ya bein' such a worry- wart? You always said you were the only true master of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. What're ya so afraid of?"  
  
"I am NOT afraid of anything, Wheeler," the brunette snapped. "If it satisfies you, I'll go out there and confront the dragon!"  
  
"Do it, then," Joey said flatly. "I'll even come wit' ya."  
  
Kaiba, against all his wishes, found himself inside the stall of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. He wouldn't have been so afraid if this dragon had been a hologram or something. He'd always been good with technology. But confronting something so large and real and powerful was definitely something that he couldn't handle well.  
  
Joey, on the other hand, didn't trust something that he couldn't feel or touch as well as something he could. He couldn't understand why Kaiba couldn't even look at the dragon without becoming scared stiff.  
  
Kaiba moved as close as possible to the Blue Eyes, and was fully prepared to be ripped to shreds. But, just as the Red Eyes had done with Joey, the Blue Eyes nuzzled against Kaiba's cheek and fully welcomed him. Kaiba got the courage to even pet the dragon... just a little. But he was quite happy to get out of the stall.  
  
Joey was smirking at him. "See, Kaiba? It ain't so bad, is it?"  
  
"I admit it wasn't as bad as I'd thought," Kaiba said through clenched teeth. He hated admitting he was wrong, especially if he had to admit it to Joey.  
  
"Ya might even try ridin' it. It's actually fun."  
  
Kaiba looked at Joey disbelievingly. "I draw the line at that, Joey. I am NOT going to ride that thing."  
  
Joey shrugged. "Suit yourself," he began to walk off. "Keep me posted if you find anything, alright? Now I've gotta mornin' ride to get to."  
  
Kaiba muttered darkly as he watched the blonde head off for the palace. Why was everything becoming so opposite with them? It was as if all of a sudden they'd switched roles... Joey becoming a rich and powerful figure that was afraid of nothing and actually had the wit to push Kaiba's buttons. And Kaiba the lesser being that he'd once considered Joey to be.  
  
'I am so confused,' he thought with a sigh. He returned to the house, contemplating these thoughts.  
  
SIDE NOTE: Sariah: See that one paragraph up there? The one before Kaiba says, 'I am so confused'? I only just realized that now. Really, I did. How many people realized that before I did? I'll bet a lot of you. Wow... that certainly wasn't intended, but it's really cool!!!! For those of you who were wondering where Marik and Mai are; well, they're coming. And did I mention that Yami and Serenity are going to be involved? I don't think anyone can guess where Serenity comes in, but can you guess where Yami comes in? I'll give you a hint: Take a look at Yugi's conversation with the other knights in the last chapter. This fic is coming along nicely. Please review A.S.A.P.!!!!!!!! 


	10. Rivaling

Disclaimer: Marik: Sariah doesn't own Yu- Gi- Oh. Blah.  
  
Sariah: Blah?  
  
Marik: *shrugs*  
  
Sariah: Um... okay...  
  
SIDE NOTE: Sariah: Erm... yeah. *clears throat* Well, anyway, I'd like to thank my reviewers! Every last one of you! You make this fic very *quotes in the air* special, so as to quote Mr. Simmons on Hey Arnold! Which I don't own, of course. Wheeeeee!!!! I'm hyper and I'm updating, so, see ya!!!  
  
Yami opened his eyes slowly. Where was he again? And where was Yugi...? Oh, wait...  
  
After Yugi had mysteriously passed out, he'd woken up asking where he was. For some odd reason, he had been overly delighted to see Yami, calling him a name that he had never heard before. Now he couldn't remember what it was, but he did remember that he'd passed out himself shortly after that. Now where was he?  
  
He tried to stand, but he found his wrists and ankles to be tightly bound. He suddenly felt very stiff.  
  
'Where in the world am I? And why in such a forbidding place?' Yami shifted a little to try and get comfortable. Then it occurred to him that with the two pieces of twine tightly binding him, and with the awkward position he was in, that was impossible.  
  
He sighed and tried to figure out how he had come to be there, when all of a sudden he heard someone crying softly next to him. He turned as best he could and saw a very familiar young girl with her head buried in her knees.  
  
"Serenity?" the girl looked up sharply at the sound of his voice.  
  
"Who's there?" she searched around wildly in the darkness, trying to find who it was who had spoken. She was slightly frustrated with the bandages covering her eyes. Yami shifted to face her with some difficulty.  
  
"It's, um... Yugi," he replied.  
  
"Oh... Yami. My brother explained the whole thing about the Millennium Puzzle to me. I can tell it's you, 'cause your voices are different." Serenity finally found him, gripping his shoulder as though afraid he'd move and she wouldn't be able to find him again. Yami shifted again so she was touching the twine that wrapped around his wrists.  
  
"Mind helping me with this?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, sure," Serenity began to untie him. "Um, this may take some time; the knots feel pretty tight."  
  
"Take your time," Yami sighed. "So, how did you end up here?"  
  
"Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not sure," replied Serenity, struggling with a large and frustrating knot. "I just passed out right in the hospital, and woke up here. I don't think I'm dressed in the same clothes... the clothes I'm wearing now seem a little worn. But I think they used to be silk. What about you?"  
  
"I passed out as well, and ended up here. And Yugi passed out before I did. It gives me the impression that we are replacing the people who really belong here."  
  
"Is that so?" Serenity managed to get the last knot undone. "Well, I feel sorry for the person who you replaced. He must have lost his circulation after a while."  
  
Yami rubbed his wrists as the twine came off. "Yes. I was starting to lose my circulation as well." Yami then proceeded to untie the twine from his ankles. He also noticed that he wasn't wearing what he had been before. He was wearing an odd sort of black shirt that was torn and dirty in a few places. He wore a sort of rusty armor on his arms and legs. He didn't appear to be wearing any shoes.  
  
"Yami? You're so quiet. Is there something wrong?" Yami realized that Serenity couldn't see what he was looking at. The silence must have been bothering her.  
  
"I'm just now realizing that I'm not wearing what I was before," he explained. "That's all. I didn't mean to worry you."  
  
"Oh, you too? That's kind of weird, isn't it?"  
  
Yami nodded. He looked at what Serenity was wearing, which did appear to have been silken at one time. It was a faded pink color; a very slim dress that was perfect for her figure. It went down to her ankles and had sleeves that reached her elbows, but it was dirty and torn at her knees.  
  
Yami finally managed to untie the rest of the twine and he stretched out his legs. He was very confused as to why he was here, and he vaguely wondered if Yugi was somewhere nearby.  
  
"Yami?" Serenity's voice was quiet.  
  
"What is it, Serenity?"  
  
"Do you think... do you think that my brother is nearby?"  
  
"I'm not sure... is there something wrong?"  
  
"I'm just a little scared, and it would be nice to have him right by me. It's times like this when I feel I really need his support."  
  
"I'm sure we'll find him at some point, Serenity. Don't you worry."  
  
Serenity smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Yami."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
Marik blinked once and he was awake. Actually, he couldn't quite remember if he had passed out... well, he was still half- out. It took him a moment to collect his thoughts.  
  
"Sir? Master Machete?"  
  
'Master Machete? Where in the name of Ra did that come from?' Marik groaned and sat up, shaking his head. Now he remembered. He'd passed out in the street and then woken up here... and now he was being called a machete? This didn't make any sense...  
  
"Who are you, and what did you just call me?" he snapped at the man before him, who appeared to be a guard.  
  
"Your name, sir... You are Lord Machete, and I am your head palace guard."  
  
'Head palace guard? I must be dreaming. The only time I'm the pharaoh is in my dreams... but then again, in my dreams I wouldn't be called "Lord"; I'm always called pharaoh. And I certainly wouldn't be called a machete...'  
  
"Master Machete?"  
  
"Stop calling me a machete! Where am I?!"  
  
"Well... sir, you are in your palace. In Sweden. You govern this city and three others."  
  
"Govern?" Marik snorted in disgust. "Well, if I don't rule anything, then why am I even here? I'm more suited for ruling, anyway..."  
  
"Well, we're working on that, my Lord. That is what I came to tell you. We have news on the prince."  
  
"A prince?"  
  
"Um... yes, sir. Prince Jonan. He rules Europe, remember? You agreed to govern for him so you'd be able to get more information on the weaknesses in his kingdom. And I've found more news."  
  
"If this isn't about the pharaoh, then I'm not interested."  
  
"Pharaoh, sir? I'm afraid I don't understand."  
  
Marik gave a frustrated sigh. "The pharaoh! A five- thousand- year- old ancient ruler who lives in the Millennium Puzzle! I've been trying to take his title for years."  
  
"Um... sir?"  
  
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"  
  
"Your memory isn't quite functional, is it, sir? You are Lord Machete... and, according to your opinions, a pharaoh, who only rules a small country, is a worthless title. Now, Prince Jonan rules an entire continent, so he has a very large title, and therefore, is much more worthwhile. Do you understand, sir?"  
  
Marik stopped and thought about this. 'So the pharaoh rules only one measly country? I thought he ruled the world! Well, now... if that's so, then I believe this prince has much more to offer... much more. This may work to my advantage...'  
  
"Um, sir? Sir, do you understand?" the guard seemed very confused by his master's behavior.  
  
"You know, I do believe my memory is not what it used to be. Perhaps you need to refresh it... and when you're done with that, THEN you may give me the latest news on this prince. My mind must be refreshed of the old news first."  
  
"Yes, sir. Where do you want me to start?"  
  
SIDE NOTE: Sariah: Whew! That's done... now, to get my reviews. Gah, this is no picnic for me.  
  
Dragaria: *pouts* Is my Yami hitting on Serenity?  
  
Sariah: *sighs* No... well, I don't know... I don't think so... stop pestering me!!!!!!! T_T Well, anyway, this was hard stuff. I mean, I did ALL the math with the servants and people and stuff in the earlier chapters. And I looked up countries in Europe just for the purpose of this story!!!! I HAVE A FLIPPIN' HEADACHE!!!!! ^_^ I'm done. Please review A.S.A.P.!!!!!!! 


	11. A New Mystery

Disclaimer: Marik: *is silent*  
  
Sariah: *kicks Marik*  
  
Marik: Ow! Fine.... Sariah doesn't own Yu- Gi- Oh.  
  
SIDE NOTE: Um... I'm tired, so I don't know why I'm writing right now at this moment. It'll probably stink... but, I have ideas. Man, I'm actually updating sooner! Well, thanks to all my reviewers! On to the fic!  
  
Joey woke up feeling pleased. He was actually better than Kaiba for once! Thinking of this, he walked down the hall to prepare for the now usual morning ride on his Red Eyes. But he heard something that made him stop.  
  
"Has he shown any signs of remembering the princess?"  
  
"No... and I'm quite glad, actually. He'd be heartbroken if he remembered her and how she's been missing for months..."  
  
"Someone should tell him."  
  
"No! You are not to tell the prince, do you understand? We will simply have to find her and reintroduce her. Then he will never have to know that his dearest sibling was kidnapped by those awful bandits..."  
  
Finally having heard enough, Joey stepped into the room and cleared his throat loudly. There was the little Duke and two knights. The knights shuffled along and Daniel nervously bowed to Joey.  
  
"Have a good rest, m- m... never mind," the little man cleared his throat and stood straight, still looking nervous.  
  
"Ah, give it a rest. Just call me what ya like; I'm gettin' tired o' hearin' ya stutter."  
  
"Yes, of course, my prince," the Duke replied, looking a little relieved. "Well, are you ready for your morning ride?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah; now let's get movin'."  
  
In the meanwhile, Marik listened closely as the guard finished his explanations, smiling craftily.  
  
"The prince's sister, eh?" he chuckled. "And his top knight? I'm rather impressed..."  
  
"Well, yes, but the knight's position was taken by his younger brother. But that was before we took the prince's sister."  
  
"I see. Well, now; what news do you have today, then?"  
  
"Well, sir, it seems the prince has lost his memory. That puts a serious weakness in his forces. And, well, I hate to say that since you've lost your memory as well, our forces are weakened..."  
  
"Nonsense! All we have to do is get a few answers from our two main resources, and we should be able to take over Jonan's rule. It's as simple as that."  
  
"Main resources? Do you speak of the prisoners?"  
  
"Of course I do, you imbecile! Take me to them immediately... I'll get the answers I want... you just wait and see."  
  
The guard sprang up and proceeded to escort Marik to the dungeons. "Of course, Master Machete. Brilliant, sir!"  
  
Marik smirked. Soon he'd have a much larger title than he'd ever dreamed of.  
  
He walked his way down the murky passage and was led straight to the dark dungeons. The guard bowed and moved behind him. Marik smirked as he approached the cell and he gasped at who was in it.  
  
"Pharaoh?"  
  
SIDE NOTE: Okay... yeah. Um, I'm really tired, so... that was probably really crummy, but it's an update... I just had to post it up. And I'm sorry for the shortness of it, but... it has to be short if my story is going to work. Sorry.... I don't wanna be irritable to anybody. I'm really sorry. I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyway, and I should learn not to write out stories at a really, really late time. Well, please review, and thank you for your patience! 


	12. The Prince Revealed

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu- Gi- Oh. Nope. Not me.  
  
SIDE NOTE: Um... I'm tired. Yeah. Well. Thanks to my reviewers!!!!! I couldn't have done this without all of you reviewing!!!! Let's get a move on!  
  
"Pharaoh?"  
  
"Marik! I knew you had something to do with this!" Yami said angrily. Serenity tapped Yami on the shoulder.  
  
"Um, Yami? Who's Marik?"  
  
Marik looked at Serenity and sneered. "Who's this? A girlfriend of yours, Pharaoh?"  
  
"Hey! I want my question answered! Who are you?" Serenity stood up with some difficulty. The guard stepped forward.  
  
"Silence, prisoner! Master Machete wishes to ask you a few questions."  
  
"Machete?" Yami put on a smug smile and chuckled. "Well, well, that certainly is an interesting name, Marik. Did you make it up all by yourself?"  
  
Marik, by now, was looking very red in the face from both anger and embarrassment. "Shut up, Pharaoh!" He sighed. "Forget it; clearly these two have 'lost their memories', so to speak. I give up! I'm never going to rule anything!"  
  
"What are you trying for this time?" Yami suddenly looked alert and serious.  
  
"There is a certain prince that I've found rules an entire continent. But that, of course, is something you don't need to be concerned with. In case you haven't noticed, you're my prisoner." Marik finished smugly.  
  
"What do we do now, my Lord?" the guard asked.  
  
"I don't know..." Marik sighed and began to pace the floor. "Perhaps we are on equal terms with this prince. I have 'lost my memory' and he has apparently truly lost his." Marik looked up suddenly. "Or has he? Perhaps he... yes, that is possible. Quite possible."  
  
Serenity tugged at Yami's arm. "What's he going on about?"  
  
Yami shook his head. "I'm not sure... unless..." Yami gasped. "Marik! Are you thinking that someone replaced this prince?"  
  
"Quiet, Pharaoh!" snapped Marik. "Of course that's what I'm thinking! The only question is: who replaced the prince? Seto Kaiba, perhaps... he seems the type. Yes, it must be him. But, how can I be sure...?"  
  
Yami, too, was pondering over this. Serenity was just a little confused. She sat there listening to Marik, and now Yami, mumbling. The guard stood there silently, unsure of what to do.  
  
In the meanwhile, Kaiba was gathering his courage. He was standing in the stall of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. He took a breath and led it outside.  
  
"There is no way I'm letting Wheeler be better than me," he hopped on. "Now let's get a move on."  
  
The dragon leapt into the air instantly, whereas Kaiba seized its neck in a panic. The dragon was fast; each turn it made caused Kaiba's stomach to churn. After a while he got used to it, and he landed the dragon without much trouble.  
  
After he'd put the dragon back in its stall, he was about to head inside when he heard someone clapping lightly. He turned to find Joey standing there, a smirk on his face.  
  
"Well, well; Seto Kaiba got up his courage. Nice flight."  
  
Kaiba smirked right back. "I'm not going to let you intimidate me. Seto Kaiba doesn't fall inferior to anyone." He paused. "What are you doing here, anyway?"  
  
"I saw ya up in the air, and I decided ta come down and look closer. You do alright for yourself on that thing."  
  
"I have to," Kaiba turned. And walked inside. "See you later... prince." And he shut the door, seeing a blush spread across Joey's face. Seto Kaiba was back.  
  
Of course, while this progress was being made, in Sweden, Marik wasn't making a whole lot of progress. He still couldn't figure out how he could make sure who the prince was. Yami had long- since figured it out, but he wasn't about to say anything. Watching Marik being the one in a tight spot for a change was very refreshing.  
  
"Um, Master Machete?" the guard began to offer a suggestion, but Marik turned and glared at him.  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"I believe some of our messengers know what the prince looks like, if it would help," the guard offered.  
  
"Then bring one of them to me, now!" Marik demanded. The guard bowed and went to get a messenger. Yami chuckled.  
  
"You figured it out, didn't you, Pharaoh?"  
  
Yami chuckled. "Yes, I did. You know, I rather like seeing you in a tight spot for once. You're always sticking me into them, so now it's your turn for a change."  
  
Marik grumbled. "Shut up, Pharaoh."  
  
A few minutes later, the guard returned with a messenger, of whom Marik demanded a description of the prince. The messenger bowed and nervously began.  
  
"Well, let's see. I've only met the prince once, so, here goes..." he cleared his throat. "Um... you want to know what he looks like, right?"  
  
Marik sighed exasperatedly and grit his teeth. "YES, I want to know what he looks like, you fool!"  
  
"Oh... well, I've only met him; I've never seen him," the messenger admitted. "You want to ask Jack; he's seen the prince three times, AND he's an artist. So, um... yeah."  
  
Marik slapped his forehead. "I give up. Fine; go get this... JACK."  
  
The messenger bowed and dashed off.  
  
Another messenger returned a few minutes later with a piece of parchment. Marik sighed.  
  
"Alright; let's see who this prince is."  
  
The messenger bowed and presented the picture so only Marik could see it. Upon seeing the picture, Marik could only gape.  
  
"You're not serious about this, are you? This is the prince?" he looked at the messenger incredulously.  
  
The messenger nodded. "Sure is, Master Machete. I've seen him three times, sir. This is the prince alright."  
  
"Of all people..." Mark shook his head. "Show the picture to the prisoners."  
  
The messenger turned to face Yami and Serenity. He held the picture in front of the cell, and Yami's mouth fell open.  
  
"JOEY?"  
  
SIDE NOTE: Um... this chapter was kind of choppily done. But I hope you're all satisfied with it. I'd be kinda sad if my loyal reviewers didn't like it. Maybe it's just me. But I hope you like it. It was longer than the last chapter I did. ^_^' Well, review A.S.A.P.!!!!!! 


	13. The Deep Side of Joey

Disclaimer: Marik: Sariah doesn't own Yu- Gi- Oh? Really?  
  
Sariah: Cut the sarcasm, Marik. After all you are MY prisoner... *cackles evilly*  
  
Marik: You're scaring me...  
  
SIDE NOTE: Sariah: Yeah... um... I, uh... don't know what happened up there. Oh, just so you know, I'm putting Serenity a little bit out of character in this chapter. I'll say it's because she got really mad at Marik. Well, I'd like to thank those of you who reviewed, and now, on with the fic!!!!!  
  
"JOEY?"  
  
Serenity, upon hearing her brother's name, tugged at Yami's arm. "What about my brother? What's going on, Yami?"  
  
"You're telling me that he is the prince?" Marik asked, turning to his messenger.  
  
"He most certainly is, Master Machete," replied the messenger. "I'd bet my life on it."  
  
"Very well, then. You may leave."  
  
The messenger bowed and left. Marik turned to Yami and Serenity; Serenity was still trying to ask Yami what was going on.  
  
"Quiet, girl," Marik snapped at her. "This makes taking over the prince's rule so much easier..." Marik's lips curled into a sneer. "That fool has no idea how to control an entire kingdom. It will be so easily taken away..."  
  
"Are you saying that my brother is the prince?" Serenity finally asked.  
  
"Yes, I believe he is, Serenity," Yami told her. The he spoke to Marik. "Despite what you may think, Marik, Joey is strong and he has a rather complicated intellect of his own. Believe me, I know."  
  
"That fool? A complicated intellect? Don't kid yourself, Pharaoh," Marik smirked. "He has the IQ equivalent to that of a houseplant. And he is not familiar with this rule, anyway."  
  
"Joey learns how to work with what he has very quickly. Quite well, I might add. Winning over that rule won't be as easy as you think it will be."  
  
"That shows what you know, Pharaoh... he is nothing but a fool."  
  
"My brother is NOT a fool!" Serenity, who had been sitting quietly, wringing her hands in her lap, feeling the anger boiling up inside of her, had suddenly sprung to her feet. If her eyes had been visible at that moment, she would have been giving Marik a very nasty look. "He's the most wonderful human being I've ever known! And he's smarter than everyone else thinks." She added. "You don't know him as well as I do. My brother is a very deep and intelligent person; it just takes a while for people to notice that. So I'd keep my mouth shut about him if I were you!"  
  
Marik was a little surprised at this sudden outburst. And so was Yami. Sensing the odd tension in the room, Serenity sat back down, satisfied that her ranting had done its job.  
  
After a very awkward pause, Marik cleared his throat and began to walk up the stairway from the dungeon.  
  
"Come, now," he called to his guard. "We have preparations to make if we are to finally take over that kingdom!"  
  
The guard followed Marik up the stairway. As soon as they were out of sight, Yami turned to Serenity.  
  
"That was quite an outburst, Serenity."  
  
Serenity blushed. "Well, every word of it was true. No one can insult my brother like that and get away with it."  
  
"You said that he's smarter than everyone thinks. What does everyone think?"  
  
"People always said that he was dumb; that something was wrong with him. People my age said that; people his age said that; even some of his teachers said that. But even when we were little, both my parents and I knew that he wasn't. He's so different than everyone else... he's so deep with his emotions, and he sees things that a lot of people don't see. So, in a way, he's smarter than everyone else. And it's not like he doesn't get the work in school, it's just that... he sees past everything. And I know he doesn't understand why no one else can see what he can." Serenity smiled. "Actually, I don't understand why no one else can, either. Oh, this is turning into a sob story...."  
  
Yami smiled. "Not really, Serenity. But it seems to me that a lot of people need to learn more about your brother."  
  
Serenity nodded. "Mmmhmm. I just wish everyone would realize that."  
  
SIDE NOTE: Sariah: That's a wrap for today, folks! Sorry about the sappy blah-dee- blah at the end. I have a tendency to put really dramatic stuff in all my fics, unless, of course, it's pure humor. Then again, this fic can be anything anybody wants it to be. I love fics with no rules, don't you?  
  
Oh, yeah... speaking of dramatic stuff; I have an idea for a fic that I'm not sure I should do. It's kind of a dark fic; mostly Joey- centered, and it's a little sci- fi- ish. It's also a little twisted, and VERY dramatic. So, if most of my reviewers give the nod, then I'll do it. I just want to be sure before doing anything. Okay? Well, please review A.S.A.P.!!!!!! 


	14. Mokuba and Mai

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu- Gi- Oh. Got a problem, buddy?????  
  
SIDE NOTE: Dragaria: *gasps* No way!!! You're updating THIS one?????  
  
Sariah: Yup. I think this is my longest one yet, isn't it...  
  
Dragaria: Yeah, it is... this is your 14th chapter, is it not?  
  
Sariah: Yeah. ^_^ My reviewers will be happy to hear that it's being updated. And we all know what that means...  
  
Dragaria: HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!! I'M BACK, RAIN OF LOVE!!!! YAMI- KUN IS MIIIIIIIIIINNNNNE!!!!!!!! MUAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!!  
  
Sariah: Oi... not this again. Well... read on, people!  
  
"Master Machete... what exactly are we going to do?"  
  
Marik turned a slight glare at his head guard. "What do you mean by that?"  
  
"I mean...," the guard gulped. "How will we take over the prince's rule?"  
  
"Simple. We declare war upon them. A rebellion, if you will."  
  
"But wouldn't that draw too much attention to ourselves? The prince's army is much more powerful than ours, my lord."  
  
"I said we'll declare war on them; I did not say that we would tell them that," Marik grinned devilishly.  
  
The guard looked confused. "I'm not sure what you mean, Master Machete."  
  
"We'll send a messenger to them, informing them that a country in a different direction from ourselves is declaring war upon the prince's army. Do you follow me so far?"  
  
The guard nodded. "Yes, sir."  
  
"Good. Then, while the prince is concentrating on preparing his army for some other country, we will attack from the other side and completely take over," Marik concluded with a swish of his cloak.  
  
"Brilliant, sir! Even without your memory you are a true genius!"  
  
Marik smirked. "I'm glad we agree. Now, go send a messenger to the kingdom. We'll say Iran is attacking or something."  
  
The guard saluted. "Yes, sir!"  
  
Now, when Mokuba had woken up, he'd heard some strange voices. Neither had been very familiar. Now he walked around, still confused as ever.  
  
All of a sudden, he fell over. "Hey, watch it!" Mokuba looked up at the sound of the voice. A man glared down at him. "Oh... you're a messenger, aren't you?"  
  
"Huh? Uh..."  
  
"Oh no! Don't tell me you've lost your memory, too!" The man growled. "This is inexcusable!"  
  
'I guess I should just go along with whatever he's saying...' Mokuba thought. "Um, no, I haven't lost my memory..."  
  
"Good," the man interrupted. He shoved a scroll into Mokuba's hand. "Take this to Russia. Central Russia. Prince Jonan should be quite interested to see this."  
  
"Oh, uh, okay...," Mokuba slowly stood and started to walk away.  
  
"Where are you going? You can't leave without an escort!"  
  
"Oh...," Mokuba smiled nervously. "Yeah... almost forgot... heh. Well, okay... I'll go get that escort... heheheh..." The guard kept giving Mokuba funny looks as he walked off in what he hoped was the right direction. 'I think I'll just go along with it... whatever it is. Besides, if I go to Russia, I might find my brother somewhere along the way. Maybe he'll know what's going on...'  
  
A mysterious woman woke up in the southern village of Russia, confused and unsure of her surroundings. Something was breathing down her neck. Then she felt something wet and hot touch her skin. Her eyes shot open and she came face- to- face with the Harpies' Pet.  
  
"Uuuugh!" Mai backed away in a panic, wiping dragon saliva off her face. The dragon backed away a little too, surprised at its owner's reaction. Its head bent down, floppy ears drooping with what seemed like shame or fright. Mai just sat, breathing hard. How in the world had she come next to this dragon? She must have been dreaming.  
  
Then she looked around. She seemed to be in some kind of forest- y area. But it was close to a village.  
  
Mai felt the dragon nudging at her, its face still full of confusion and fear. She felt sorry for scaring the dragon earlier and stroked its neck. "I'm sorry. You were just trying to see if I was okay, weren't you?" The dragon's expression lit up again and it began licking her face. She giggled. "Okay, okay; stop it, that tickles..."  
  
The dragon stopped licking her and knelt down again, but this time not in fear. To her, the dragon looked more like a faithful dog lying at its master's feet. She stroked its head. "I wonder how I got here...," the dragon nudged her again, nodding out to the village and then indicating towards itself. Mai smiled. "Oh, so I was down in the village? And you brought me here? Forgive me, dragon, but that's not quite what I meant." The dragon cocked its head in confusion. "I don't think you'd understand... it's okay."  
  
Mai sighed. How had she gotten to this place? Unless she was dreaming... but then she looked down at the faithful dragon, still petting its warm, scaly head and thought about it. The flesh of the dragon felt too real... it couldn't have been a dream.  
  
"Well, I'll find out eventually, won't I?"  
  
SIDE NOTE: Yay!!!! I updated!!! ^_^ Well, I think the key to my writing is not to have ideas beforehand, but to start writing and let the ideas come to me. ^_^ I feel so happy that I updated this one! Everybody seems to like it so much... well, two notes: 1) For info on updates and new stories and such, look at my bio. 2) Please review! ^_^ 


	15. Message From Sweden

Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, own Yu- Gi- Oh. Good day.  
  
SIDE NOTE: Dragaria: *has hearts in eyes* Who did you say this was again?  
  
Sariah: Huh? *looks at picture Dragaria was drooling over* Uh... this is Chu. He's from Yu Yu Hakusho. Which I don't own!  
  
Dragario: Sis? Are you okay?  
  
Dragaria: Forget Yami; I want Chuuuuuuu...  
  
Sariah: O.o Hey!! You can't have Chu! Chu is kawaii! I want Chu!!  
  
Dragaria: You have Hiei!!  
  
Sariah: Can I at least have drooling privileges? Chu is very kawaii.  
  
Dragaria: Okay.  
  
Sariah: *gives up picture* All yours.  
  
Dragaria: Yay!! Mine!!!!  
  
Sariah: Wow... long side note. Read on!  
  
"I'm sick of doing peasant work!" the tomb- robber threw down his rag. "I don't belong here, I tell you! I don't belong here!"  
  
"Will you shut up?!" Tea hit the thief over the head with a bucket. "We have to stay patient if we want to get out of here."  
  
"Yeah," Tristan agreed. "We're going to have to go along with our roles until we can leave, no matter how much we don't like it. Personally, the company's just as bad."  
  
"I'll make it worse if you don't take that back!" the tomb- robber snapped.  
  
Tea hit him over the head with the bucket again. "Stop it!"  
  
"Ow...," the spirit rubbed the back of his head. "You're going to give me a concussion, vile woman..."  
  
"Don't MAKE me strangle you!"  
  
"Tea?" Tea looked up at the sound of the voice. It was Yugi. "Yugi! Wow, I didn't know you were here, too!"  
  
"Yeah, Joey never mentioned you, man," Tristan set down his rag and sat up to talk to Yugi.  
  
"He never mentioned any of you guys, either," Yugi agreed. He sat on the floor level with his friends. "Hey, Bakura." The tomb- robber "hmph"ed.  
  
"Don't bother; it's the psycho Bakura again," Tea said irritably. "Anyway, what have you been up to? And what about your role here in this dimension? What's it like?"  
  
"I'll tell you, being the chief knight isn't easy," Yugi sighed. "Especially for someone who has to not only take orders, but give them, too. And I don't even know half the stuff that goes on here. So what are you guys? You kind of look like a cleaning crew..."  
  
"Shut up, puny child," Bakura snapped. Tea hit him over the head again, this time knocking him unconscious.  
  
"He was getting SO annoying," she rolled her eyes. "Speaking of annoyances, I haven't Joey in a while. He doesn't even pass by to say hello to us anymore. Probably too busy enjoying his role as a prince, the stuck- up punk!"  
  
"Aw, have a heart, Tea," Yugi smiled. "Joey's probably got the hardest role of any of us."  
  
"Yeah, it's SO hard to boss everyone around," Tristan rolled his eyes.  
  
"I'm serious!" Yugi insisted. "I see him all the time in the knight's quarters giving orders. Well... he's supposed to be giving orders, but most of the time he's just yawning and nodding. He's been walking around the palace taking care of messages from other countries and complaints from the villages. He's had to sign stuff, and he hardly gets any sleep. I think he's been really busy trying to fit into his role."  
  
Tea sighed, but as usual giving in to Yugi's serious and annoyingly sweet face. "Well... I guess I can't blame him, but I still wish he'd talk to us more often."  
  
"Are you sure this is the right place?" the group turned at a familiar voice. To their surprise, there was Mokuba being led towards the main hall by an unfamiliar- looking boy. The unfamiliar one nodded.  
  
"Yes, sir. The prince should be somewhere here. We simply need to call him down to the main hall so you can give him the message."  
  
"Right... okay," Mokuba paused. "Um... are you supposed to come with me...?"  
  
"Nah, this is where I stop," the other boy said. "I'll wait to escort you back to Lord Machete's city." The boy walked back outside and Mokuba walked uncertainly into the hall. Yugi, Tristan, and Tea flocked to the front door to see what was happening.  
  
"Halt!" two guards stepped in front of Moukba, blocking his way through the entrance. "What is your purpose here?"  
  
"I... I, uh, brought this message for Prince Jonan... from, uh...," Mokuba paused, trying to remember. "Sweden... I think..."  
  
One of the guards shook his head. "This memory loss thing must be spreading everywhere."  
  
The other guard nodded. "I know. First Prince Jonan and now this!" he sighed. "Alright, kid, you wait here. We'll escort Prince Jonan here immediately."  
  
"So Mokuba's here, too!" Tea whispered. "We're not the only ones trapped in a different dimension!"  
  
Yugi shushed her as Joey came in. He held a look of surprise on his face as he saw Mokuba. Mokuba's own expression was that of pure joy.  
  
"Joey! Oh... I mean, Prince Jonan, I uh... brought this message for you...," Mokuba handed Joey the message. Joey read through it, his eyes full of confusion and suspicion.  
  
"Iran is plannin' an attack against us? That's not possible! I just received word yesterday that Iran was after Iraq... they got North America involved an' everythin'! Besides, this guy's from Sweden, right? That's all the way on the other side of us, so how could this Machete guy know about it?"  
  
One guard spoke up. "Sir, if I may..."  
  
Joey turned to him. "Speak."  
  
"Well, sir, I would trust Lord Machete's word. He governs all of Sweden, he's highly respected by his subjects, and he is your most trusted governor. The news you received yesterday must have been at fault."  
  
"Most trusted governor, huh?" Joey looked suspiciously at the note. "Well, as of now..." Joey ripped the message in half. "... I don't trust this guy. Someone all the way on the other end Iran says they're attackin' us? I'll bet that's just an excuse so THEY can come after us!"  
  
"It's your word, sir. Shall we assemble the troops?"  
  
"You get them as ready as possible. Assemble a few facing Iran, so we can fool them. Get the rest of the troops facing Sweden, but make sure that no one can see them. We want to ambush any attackers coming from that region, understood?"  
  
The guards bowed. "Sir!" Then they ran off to fulfill his orders. Joey then turned to Mokuba.  
  
"So, Mokuba... long time no see."  
  
Mokuba gave Joey a hug. "Wow, Joey! You're so cool!"  
  
"Heh; cool, but exhausted. Bet you are, too. I'll ask someone to get a room for ya."  
  
"Thanks, Joey... you might wanna get one for the escort waiting for me outside. He came with me all this way."  
  
Joey nodded. "Consider it done. I'll go get someone... you can chill with the nosy gang hidin' over there." Joey left. Mokuba rounded the corner and found Tea, (who was fuming that Joey knew they were there) Tristan, an unconscious Bakura, and Yugi.  
  
"Hi, you guys!" Mokuba waved at them happily. "Wow... you're all part of this palace, too? That's so cool! What do you all do here?"  
  
"Oh, me, Tea and Bakura are just servants," Tristan smiled. "Not much."  
  
"I'm supposed to be the chief knight... or something like that," Yugi blushed.  
  
"Wow! That's so cool! You mean you get to fight people and stuff?"  
  
"Well, we haven't done much fighting, but I guess so..."  
  
Mokuba's escort and Joey entered a few minutes later. "Yug' ya might wanna get ready. Remember, most of your troops are gonna be hidden out there waitin' for an attack."  
  
Yugi nodded. "Right. I'm on it." He left. Tea and Tristan went back to work. A guard appeared at Joey's side.  
  
"Find this escort a room," Joey ordered. "I'll take the messenger to his own room shortly. I need to speak with him first."  
  
The guard bowed. "Yes, sir." He then started to lead the escort to a room.  
  
Mokuba was puzzled. "What did you need to talk to me about, Joey?"  
  
"Nothin' really," Joey grinned. "But there's somethin' I wanna show ya."  
  
Mokuba was still puzzled as Joey led him into the village, straight to one home. He was even more puzzled when Joey motioned for him to stay hidden behind him and not to say a word until he signaled for it. But he understood as soon as the door opened. He could barely contain his excitement.  
  
"What do you want, Wheeler?" Kaiba snapped at the blonde. Joey grinned.  
  
"I got a surprise for ya, Kaiba."  
  
Before Kaiba could ask what Joey was talking about, the blonde stepped aside. Mokuba flung his arms around his surprised brother. "Seto!"  
  
"Mokuba! How did you get here?"  
  
Mokuba shrugged. "I walked." Kaiba chuckled.  
  
"I sure missed you, kid," he ruffled his little brother's hair.  
  
"Alright, Kaiba. I jus' wanted to let ya know Mokuba was okay. I've offered him a room in the palace, so we'd better get back. People might freak out if I'm gone too long."  
  
Kaiba glared at Joey. "Fine. But if anything happens to him in that palace, I swear..."  
  
"Oh, please, Kaiba!" Joey rolled his eyes. "Nothing could happen in that palace! We got security swarmin' the place day an' night, and besides, any guest I invite to stay are treated JUST like everyone treats me. And that's what I call safe. Over- safe, maybe, but safe."  
  
"Whatever. Just take care of him."  
  
"I'll be fie, big brother!" Mokuba assured his brother.  
  
As he and Joey left, Kaiba wasn't the only one watching. From outside the village, a pair of lavender eyes gazed upon Joey. There was a grunting sound.  
  
"So... Joey's here, too?" Mai sighed happily. "Man, he looks GOOD in that outfit..."  
  
SIDE NOTE: Um... did this confuse any of you? I hope not... well, I just wanted to update... for me, I'm sure all of you feel this is soon. Yes. For me, it's soon. Well, please review! 


	16. In Domino

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Yu- Gi- Oh. Wish I did. More of my newest love, YAMI MARIK!!!!!!  
  
SIDE NOTE: Sariah: Who thinks I'm insane for loving Yami Marik? Raise your hand. *raises own hand* I love evil, arrogant, and/or demented guys. Yami Marik is demented, right? And Naraku is evil and demented... I don't won Inuyasha, by the way. And, hey, Mists of Love, exactly WHAT is wrong with loving Hiei, HUH?? I'm a HUGE fan of him, and boy do I mean HUGE!! I'm with ya, RR2-chan! I'M WITH YA ALL THE WAY!!!!!  
  
Dragaria: I LOVE CHU!!!!!  
  
Sariah: *sweat- drops* Chu is DEFINITELY not attractive, but he's just soooo cute! ^_^ Cute in the "awww, Chu's doing something funny again" way. I love Chu!! But Hiei is mine... now and forever!  
  
Dragaria: Will you tell them about today's chapter, already???  
  
Sariah: *blushes* Right. Well, I can't think of anything to do right now in the medieval times, and besides, I was thinking of adding in what was going on with the real Jonan and all them. So, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!  
  
"I just don't understand, doctor! My son may be kind of arrogant, but I never expected him to act like THIS!" Amber Wheeler bit her lip. The doctor sighed.  
  
"It's a simple mental condition, miss," he assured her. "It shouldn't last TOO long... but I'm not so sure about your daughter..."  
  
Amber glared at the doctor. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, I'm only saying that the surgery may have mixed up a few things in her mental nerves..."  
  
"WHAT?! You're saying my daughter has mental problems because of her SURGERY?!"  
  
The doctor held his hands up defensively. "Now, now, Miss Wheeler; it may be a simple side- effect... it may go away as her eyes heal..."  
  
"And if it doesn't?"  
  
The doctor sighed. "Then I'd suggest help. As soon as possible."  
  
Amber nodded and sighed. How had all of this happened...?  
  
Inside Serenity's room, Jonan had rediscovered his long- lost sister. A servant from his palace seemed to have emerged to this strange place and was now washing the windows out of boredom.  
  
"Sister, where have you been all these years?" Jonan whispered into his little sister's ear. "I've missed you so, Serena... and the servants miss your company... right, Theodore?"  
  
Theodore nodded. "Yes. It's good to see you again, princess."  
  
"Jonan, I've wanted to tell you where I was all these long years of my life!" Serena sighed. "Your most trusted governor is not to be trusted... he kidnapped both myself and Yang, and he plans to take over your kingdom! If only we were there again! You could have him locked away for the rest of his life!"  
  
Jonan was shocked. "Lord Machete? That seems so ludicrous!"  
  
"Believe me, brother, it is not."  
  
"Once we get back home, Serena, Machete will pay most dearly for what he has done!"  
  
Serena was not the only one reuniting with someone. At the Moto's game shop, Yang was reunited with his little brother, Yin. The two were most happy to see each other again.  
  
"Yang! I thought you were lost forever!" Yin hugged his brother tightly, as though afraid he would be lost again.  
  
"No, little brother, I was captured," Yang ruffled his little brother's hair. "Captured by Lord Machete... I knew that man couldn't be trusted! I wanted to tell Jonan, but he would NEVER believe me!"  
  
"I think he would have, Yang. Jonan told me how close you two were as friends. And now it's the same way with us!" Yin smiled proudly. "Guess what? I became the chief knight after you left!"  
  
"I always knew you had it in you," Yang smiled. "I'm so proud of you, Yin."  
  
Alright, so the sappy reunions aren't catching your eye? Well how about the revival of the EVIL Lord Machete?  
  
Machete groaned as he opened his eyes. He found himself lying in the middle of an alleyway, with robed figures surrounding him. He glared up at them all.  
  
"Who are you? Do you work for the prince?"  
  
"Master Marik, what are you talking about?"  
  
'Marik?' the great Swedish lord thought. 'What kind of stupid name is Marik? It sounds Egyptian...' "Who are all of you? Go away!"  
  
"Master Marik, have you lost your memory?" one robed figure gasped.  
  
"Who is Marik?! I am not Marik! I am Lord Machete!" Machete stood up, fuming and waving his arms. It was a funny sight to behold.  
  
"Um... Master Marik, are you frustrated with us because we did not get the Red Eyes Black Dragon?"  
  
"Don't be stupid! That creature would tear me to pieces if I even got near it!" Machete snapped at these obviously stupid people.  
  
"But, sir... it's only a card..."  
  
Machete looked at them all dully and said in a flat tone: "What?"  
  
"It's only a card, sir. Just like this card," a robed man held up a Blackland Fire Dragon card. Machete looked at it closely.  
  
"Fascinating... where did you get this?"  
  
"We just bought it, sir," another robed man looked confused.  
  
"And, uh... what do I need these for, again?"  
  
"Well, sir, you want to get the most powerful cards assembled into one deck so you can become the pharaoh."  
  
"Starting small... I like it. Of course, the territory would have to expand..."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"You'll, uh... have to explain everything to me. I seem to have lost my memory," Machete smirked. He was going to like this new place...  
  
SIDE NOTE: Bum- bum- buuuuummmm!!!!!! And a whole new plotline starts! This will show you that I'm extending the story. ^_^ It's gonna be loooooonnnng! Well, hope you liked it! Tootles! 


	17. Machete the Fool and Kabat the Grumpy

Disclaimer: I'm afraid I don't own Yu- Gi- Oh, nor do I own any of the countries used in this story. I do, however, own the evil Lord Machete!! Bwahahahaha!!!!!!!!  
  
SIDE NOTE: Okay, guys, you asked for updates, and I'm givin' 'em! I hope you'll be satisfied... I am starting a new take on this story, and it'll all be in Domino with the people from the medieval time. At some point I'll start switching back and forth, so I hope it doesn't get too confusing... well, read and enjoy!  
  
A young woman awoke, groaning and holding her head. She peeled several paper squares off her skin, noticing that they had pictures on them. She stopped and looked at one in particular, seeing a very familiar face on it.  
  
"Majesty?" she ran her finger along the lines of the creature's body. It looked exactly like her Harpie's Pet... and one of the creatures had even looked like a Harpie! This was highly unusual... "What is this place? This doesn't seem like the village at all..."  
  
Her eyes wandered around the room. So unfamiliar... She decided to find out what this place was. She stood up and walked out the door, determined to investigate the world around her.  
  
Meanwhile, on the other side of Domino, the Rare Hunters had just finished relaying information to whom they thought was Marik. But Lord Machete had taken his place, and apparently, his job.  
  
"So... this pharaoh has a secret, hmm? And it's encrypted on my back? Well, what use is that if I don't even know what it says?"  
  
"Well... you should know what it says... unless you've, uh... lost your memory..."  
  
"That can be overlooked, if you know what the pharaoh's secret is!" Machete waved his had as though brushing it aside. "Can any of you read it?"  
  
The Rare Hunters began talking all at once. "Well, Master Marik, you see, uh, we... um, well, we're not Egyptian or anything, so..."  
  
"Gah! Enough, enough!" Machete sighed in agitation. "Well, that was a total waste of my time! Perhaps we will find some other way to make me a pharaoh..."  
  
"Like what, Master Marik?"  
  
"Oh, I'll think of something!" Machete leaned one elbow on the armrest of his chair, placing his chin his hand. "Hmm... so, what exactly was my plan to become pharaoh so far?"  
  
"I can answer that, Master Marik!" one Rare Hunter cried excitedly. Machete raised an eyebrow questioningly, indicating that he could continue. "Well, you see, sir, you told us that if you got the Millennium Puzzle which holds the pharaoh's soul, and all three of the Egyptian God cards which unlock the pharaoh's soul, you will then become pharaoh!"  
  
"Uh- huh," the Swedish governor looked bored. "Now, tell me, did it occur to you that perhaps you just told me the pharaoh's secret, when ALL of you JUST told me that you didn't KNOW what it was?"  
  
"Well... um... no, I didn't," the Rare Hunter smiled hopefully. Lord Machete gave the Rare Hunter a dull look.  
  
'I'm surrounded by idiots,' he thought. 'Imbeciles! All of them! This Marik needs new lackeys... I should lend him a few of mine... at least they're competent.'  
  
"Master Marik?" another Rare Hunter spoke up. "Are angry with us, master? Master?"  
  
"I think it would be best if you left Master Marik alone," a deep voice entered the room. "Your idiotic babbling must be giving him a headache." A tall man with deeply tanned skin and lavender eyes entered the room. His eyes glared down at the babbling Rare Hunters, and they bowed and fled the room. The man walked up to Machete, getting down on one knee and bowing as well. "I'm sorry, Master Marik. I should not have left you alone with those fools."  
  
"Who are you?" Machete asked. The man looked up in surprise.  
  
"You do not recognize me?"  
  
"My memory apparently has disappeared."  
  
"I see," the man nodded, but did not move from the floor. "I am your most faithful servant, my lord. My name is Odeon (A/N: Dumb name... yeesh, what were the dub people thinking??). I should have guessed that something was wrong when I heard those idiots jabbering so incessantly."  
  
"I suppose...," Machete looked suspiciously at the man. 'Well, he seems more competent than the rest... maybe HE can give me a better idea of what's going on...' "Very well, Odeon. I trust you. And since those other fools could not do this properly, I want you to explain everything to me... my plans, explain this pharaoh, and anything else that may be important."  
  
Odeon nodded again. "Of course, master."  
  
At Kaiba Corp., a very confused Kabat and a very freaked out messenger awoke in Kaiba's office. Kabat's immediate reaction to being in an unfamiliar place without his Blue Eyes snoring in the stable next to him went something like this:  
  
"What. Is. This. Place?" he stared at Kaiba's computer screen, watching the cartoon head of a dog bouncing around on the screen with a perky smile on its face and its tongue hanging out. That had been Mokuba's doing, of course, and Kaiba couldn't turn it into anything else. So, he was cursed with a way- too- happy screensaver.  
  
"Where am I?" the messenger rubbed his head and sat up. Kabat looked around sharply at the small boy.  
  
"You. Boy. What's your name?"  
  
The boy blinked in confusion. "My name is Mitalo, sir. Who are you?  
  
"None of you business, boy. You stand up and tell me what this place is, now."  
  
"Um... okay," the young boy stood, brushing himself off. "Well, sir, I have no idea what this place is. I just passed out in my quarters and woke up here. No idea why, but I hope I can go back home soon. Lord Machete would probably not be happy if I missed my duties."  
  
"You work for Machete?" Kabat's eyebrows rose. "Tell me boy, does your lord have any... plans in mind?"  
  
"Why, yes, sir," Mitalo nodded. "But you see, sir, I'm not supposed to relay that information to anyone else."  
  
"Why don't you tell me, or I'll feed you to my Blue Eyes."  
  
The boy gulped. "Um... yes, sir. Well, you see, my lord plans to take control over Prince Jonan's rule over Europe. The details are still being worked out, but I can assure you my lord will have a stirring plan up and running quite soon!"  
  
'So, he wants to take over Jonan's kingdom?' Kabat placed a finger on his chin thoughtfully. 'Hmm... how does he plan to accomplish such a feat? Jonan is no easy target. And his kingdom is not something to meddle with... must be aiming high. The old fool is getting on in years. I guess he wants to aim high before he kicks the bucket.'  
  
"Um... sir?"  
  
"What do you want, boy?"  
  
"Um... well, sir, what do we do now?"  
  
Kabat had nothing to say to that.  
  
SIDE NOTE: Well, did you like it? I worked my very hardest on it. ^_^ Well, please review! 


	18. Servants in Domino

**Disclaimer:** I still do not own Yu- Gi- Oh. Don'tcha wish I did, though?  
  
_SIDE NOTE_: Has it been a while since I updated? I dunno... you tell me. I really have no clue. I'll just say it has been a while. Anyways, thank you to all my reviewers who reviewed for the last 17 chapters. It's come a loooooong way! Well, read on!  
  
Kabat wandered aimlessly in the streets of Domino, wondering how he got there. The young messenger, Mitalo, flocked after him, unsure of what else to do. Kabat then stopped and pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket. He eyed the creature on the top. His Blue Eyes, frozen on a piece of useless paper. Discovering it had been shocking...  
  
(FLASHBACK)  
  
"Um... well, sir, what do we do now?"  
  
Kabat stared at the boy for a moment. He didn't answer at first. "I don't know." He sat down in the chair in front of that annoying screen. He was surprised to find that the chair tipped back, and he fell over backwards. He landed hard on a lump inside his pocket. He pulled it out, and was shocked to find his Blue Eyes framed in a picture. "This can't possibly be... how did my Blue Eyes become imprisoned?!"  
  
Mitalo leaned over Kabat's shoulder, staring at the card. "Ooh. That's bad luck, there, sir. Wonder what happened to your dragon?"  
  
"Shut up, insolent boy!" Kabat shoved the child away and stood, still staring at the picture. "I don't believe this... huh...? What in the world...?" Looking down, he noticed a locket hanging around his neck. He pried open the thing and looked inside. It was a picture of... what looked like Mitalo... "This is insane..."  
  
"Sir? You still didn't answer my question."  
  
Kabat closed the locket and glared at the boy. "Shut up. We're going for a walk."  
  
(END FLASHBACK)  
  
_I've obviously been transported to an alternate world. And obviously I've taken the place of another. But has he taken my place? And who else is in this world?_  
  
His question was answered when he heard voices coming near. Suspicious voices. He grabbed the boy who was following him and hid himself around the block. When he peered around the corner, he gasped. Standing there with a very tall, tan- skinned bald man was none other than the Swedish governor, Machete.  
  
_Machete! He's here? What is he up to?_  
  
"You have been quite helpful so far, Odeon," said Machete. "Everything you've told me brings me one step closer to my goal here, and of course, my goal outside of here..."  
  
"I beg your pardon, Master Marik?"  
  
"Never mind," Machete waved his hand in the air, dismissing him. "All I need are the whereabouts of this pharaoh."  
  
_Pharaoh?_ Kabat's eyes narrowed. _You diabolical old fool. Trying to take over a dimension you don't belong in.  
_  
"Sir, it would be best to take this one step at a time...," Odeon began. "With your current condition, it wouldn't be wise just to rush into things."  
  
Machete sighed. "I suppose you're right... perhaps I should stick to the plan you've told me about so far..."  
  
"Very wise idea, Master Marik."  
  
Kabat pulled his eyes away from the scene, but his ears remained in on the conversation. _What's this about a pharaoh? The old bat's starting small... he must be seriously up to something..._  
  
"Let's go over the plan once more," came the voice of Machete. Kabat continued to listen.  
  
However, in the meantime, a certain white- haired servant awoke in an alleyway. The last thing he remembered was trying to steal the prince's Red Eyes... he was sure he'd found a way to do it!  
  
Oh, right... the prince's high- and- mighty guards had caught him at it. They'd chased him all through the hallway, finally locking him in the dungeon. Of course, he knew he couldn't be kept in there long... there was a secret way out that he'd used many times. Yes... he was just about to sneak past the guards when he passed out. Somehow he ended up here...  
  
"_There_ you are, Bakkus!" the white- haired boy turned as he heard a familiar voice. Oh no... it was...  
  
"Talia!" Bakkus sprung up against the wall, backing up away from the girl. She stormed up to him and gave him a slap on the face.  
  
"_Where_ have you been?! You know Theodore and I cannot pull your weight _for_ you!" She tapped her foot impatiently. "You were stealing again, weren't you?"  
  
"Um... yes..."  
  
Talia rolled her eyes. "So, what were you trying to filch _this_ time? Jewels? Weapons? Food?"  
  
Bakkus tapped his fingers nervously together, meeting the woman's eyes with a sheepish grin. "Um... well... the prince's Red Eyes..."  
  
"What?!" Talia's expression went from angry to worried in an instant. "Are you trying to get yourself _killed_, now? Did I do something wrong?"  
  
"Stop worrying yourself, Talia. I'm not trying to get myself killed. I just thought I figured out a way to get it without it killing me..."  
  
"Oh," Talia's expression went back to angry. "You moron!" Slap. "That's completely reckless and stupid!" Slap. "What if you were wrong, huh?!" Slap. "You could have gotten killed!" Slap. "Why do insist upon putting me through this?!" Slap. "Do you think I don't worry about you?!"  
  
"Talia, knock it off!" Bakkus braced himself against the next slap. "I'm sorry! I won't ever, ever, ever do it again, I swear!"  
  
"Good," Talia stopped her attacks and helped Bakkus to stand. He brushed himself off before looking around.  
  
"Hey... where's Theodore?" he asked, looking around. "He was with you before I passed out, right?"  
  
"Yeah, he and I both passed out, too," Talia nodded. "And when I woke up, I was in a strange house, and he was nowhere to be found. So I decided to walk around and found you."  
  
"And then you started screaming at me," said Bakkus flatly. "I know that story." He sighed. "Well, do you think he might be in this strange place, too?"  
  
"Possibly."  
  
"Well... we should go look for him," Bakkus finally decided. "If we ever get back to the palace, there is NO way I am doing his work for him."  
  
"Oh, you mean like he does for you?"  
  
Bakkus blushed. "Shut up, Talia. Come on." He walked off. Talia sighed.  
  
"Sometimes I wonder why I fell in love with that idiot," she said; and followed.  
  
_SIDE NOTE:_ Whoa! Who saw that one coming? An alternate universe Bakura and an alternate universe Téa _TOGETHER_! Did you see that one coming? Did you? I never saw it coming, actually... I wrote down 'Did I do something wrong?' and I go... 'what is she, his girlfriend?' then I thought... 'hey... that sounds like a good idea!' so now they're together. Cool, ain't it? Just wait 'till Bakura and Téa hear about THIS! Well, please review! 


	19. Princess Maybelle Angelita III

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. T'would be a nice thing, though. Then I could torture Joey whenever I wanted! Bwahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!

_SIDE NOTE:_ Hello all. I'm updating and continuing the part in Domino. I dunno when I'll be continuing what's happening in the medieval age, but I'll get to it eventually. Anyway, thanks for reviewing, and read on.

The young girl wandered through the streets, puzzled by everything around her. This was not where she'd been last. She knew she'd been in the village of Jonan's southern kingdom. Or, PRINCE Jonan, as her father had said so many times. She rolled her eyes at the memory. Why had she gone to his kingdom in the first place? Oh, yes, that's right...she'd wanted to take a good look at her betrothed to see if he was proper marriage material. Her father may have the power to decide who she marries, but she still had the right of scrutiny. She wasn't about to be married off to some rich, stupid pig!

_And Majesty was with me...I wonder how the poor old gal is doing. She must be terrified that I'm gone..._

The young princess spotted a young boy with undeniably inferior stature and thought to get some explanation as to where she was. She walked over the child.

"Excuse me, boy," she called to him. The young boy looked over at her with questioning.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Boy, I need you to tell me where we are right now."

The young boy laughed. "What, you're not from around here, lady? Too bad for you."

"Now, see here, peasant! I don't think you know who you're talking to!" the princess placed her hands on her hips and towered over the boy, hoping to make him recognize that he was talking to royalty.

"So what if I don't? And don't call me a peasant!" the boy replied rudely. The princess leaned in close to his face, making him back up.

"In case you didn't know, I am Princess Maybelle Angelita the third, and I do not tolerate disrespect, _especially_ from rude little peasants like you! Now, I asked you a question, boy; and I expect an answer! So give me an answer, NOW!"

The boy, by this time, had fallen onto his back; she had shouted so much and gotten so close. He gulped. "W-we're in Domino city..."

"Where's that?"

"It's near Tokyo..."

"What country, boy?!"

"Japan! Alright, I gave you your info!" The boy got up and ran away, screaming at her: "You're crazy, lady! You're crazy!"

"Don't you talk to a princess that way, boy! I'll tell my father! You hear me?!" Maybelle sighed. "Little brat. So, he said we're in Japan...I've never been to Japan...and I wonder how I can get here when I was just somewhere in Europe! You can't get from there to Japan unless you have a boat and a passport! I must have been kidnapped and smuggled in somehow! But who would kidnap me? No one knew where I was, as well...hmm..." She paused in the street, thinking this over. A car headed her way, honking its horn. She just barely dodged the car.

"Stay outta the street, you crazy broad!" called the driver.

"Hey! I'm a princess! A princess! Don't talk to me that way!"

"Alright, Odeon. According to the plan, we must defeat this...Yugi or whatever in a duel to obtain his puzzle, correct?"

Odeon nodded. "Indeed, Master Marik."

"And we also need to defeat this...Kaiba to obtain his Egyptian god card?"

"Right again, master."

"Good...so I know the plan..." there was a long silence. "There's just one problem with the whole thing."

"And what is that, Master Marik?"

"I have no idea how to duel," the Swedish lord rubbed his temples in frustration. "I hardly even know what the whole _point_ of it is. And why do you have to imprison creatures to do it?"

"They are not imprisoned, they are created that way," Odeon explained. "And you should not worry about dueling. Your Rare Hunters will do it for you."

_Ha! So the morons in capes do have a real purpose!_ Machete smirked at the thought. "Alright, then. How do we lure this Yugi into a duel?"

"That we have not deducted just yet," Odeon replied solemnly. "But if you really are Master Marik, you will be able to figure it out for yourself."

Machete shrugged. "Fine. Give me time, and I shall think of something. It's not like I don't have experience in tricking people. After all, back home I have two very useful captives." Machete smiled devilishly in his self-congratulations. "Alright then, leave me. I need time to think." Odeon bowed.

"Of course, Master Marik." He turned on his heel and exited the room, leaving the Swedish man to his thoughts.

_SIDE NOTE:_ Yeah, yeah, it's short, but it was all I could think of. I'll update soon as I think of something else and want to put it down...I'm getting extremely lazy. ((smirks)) Heh.


	20. Machete's Plan

**Disclaimer and notes: Hi all! It's been a loooooong time since I've updated this thing, hasn't it? Well, I'm finally giving you an update on this! When is it going to end? Anyway, before I continue on with the plotline, I'd like to announce that I'm looking for a beta-reader. And this is like a store manager looking for a clerk. There are qualifications, but they shouldn't be too hard. If you want to be my beta-reader, please check out my bio for details. Thanks everyone! Read on!**

"We will escape tonight, sister," Jonan said suddenly. "They have men in white coats guarding us during the day, but at night we should be able to flee. Theodore, are you hearing this?"

The young servant bowed. "Yes, my prince. If I may, I can suggest an escape route."

"Do tell, Theodore," Serena said politely. "To have an idea would be excellent."

"Of course, princess." Theodore turned to the window. "This window will be perfect. No one guards the outside walls, and the building we are in is not high above the ground."

"Perfect," Jonan said in approval. "Then tonight, we shall escape from that window. We must not speak any more of this. I will not risk someone hearing us."

"Tonight, brother," the princess agreed. "Continue as usual, Theodore."

Theodore bowed. "Of course, my princess."

_HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH_

Machete held a silent smirk all day. He had told this Marik's 'Rare Hunters' of his plan, and was having it set into action immediately that night. He'd heard that a few friend's of this Yugi's had been hospitalized. He planned to kidnap them late at night, when no one was around. The Rare Hunters would tell Yugi what had happened to his friends, and then he would have _no choice_ but to give up the puzzle…or duel…or something like that. Either way, this would work, he was _sure_ of it.

Night came all too slowly for the Swedish governor, but when it did come, he was impatient. The Rare Hunters he'd recruited to kidnap Yugi's friend were incompetent! They had no idea where the hospital was! So, even thought he really had no idea either, Machete decided to guide them, more or less, to the hospital. However, when they _did_ get there, they found not Yugi's friends, but…

"Jonan, fancy meeting you here," Machete said with a smirk.

Jonan snarled in rage, his sister glaring fiercely from behind him. "Machete! I planned on arresting you for treason as soon as I got back to Europe, but it looks like I don't have to wait!"

"Um, Master Marik…" one Rare Hunter began; but Machete held up a hand to silence him.

"Arrest me? Why, Jonan, have you not noticed?" Machete grinned evilly. "We are not in your kingdom anymore. In fact, I doubt we're anywhere near home. We are not who we were in this world, and here, _I_ am the master. _I_ have the army. So do you honestly think you can arrest _me_?"

"Mark my words, Machete, you will be punished!" Jonan shot back. "As soon as I get to my kingdom—"

"No, I don't think I'll allow that," Machete replied almost mockingly. "Instead, I think I'll capture you. Rare Hunters, you know what to do."

The Rare Hunters leapt forward and grabbed the three. They struggled fiercely, but since they had no weapons or even Jonan's army, they were overtaken easily. Jonan's gaze burned into Machete's. The Swedish man just laughed.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen!" he chuckled. "What I wouldn't give for us to be in Europe. Your kingdom would be mine…"

"You'll never get my kingdom, Machete!" Jonan hissed.

"Master Marik, are you certain these are the friends of Yugi Moto?" a Rare Hunter asked. "After all, from what has been said…"

"I have a feeling these are Yugi Moto's friends," Machete decided. "Perhaps they have only…lost their memories." He smirked. "Besides, it matters not. As long as Yugi recognizes them as his friends, we'll have him anyway."

"You are truly brilliant, Master Marik."

"Come along then." Machete beckoned the Rare Hunter holding their prisoners forward. "I myself have a little catching up to do with these 'friends' of Yugi's."

In the meanwhile, the brother's Yin and Yang were trying to find their way around this new world. They hardly got far down the street when they were met by Rare Hunters.

"Yugi Moto," one voiced boomed. "We have your closest friends within out grasp. If you are to ever see them again, you must give up your Millennium Puzzle!"

Yin just blinked. "Who are you?"

Yang glared. "Do you work for Machete?"

"I don't know, Yang, I mean…what's this Millennium Puzzle they're talking about?"

The brothers continued talking while the Rare Hunters grew nervous. "Master Marik is not going to be happy…"

"We're all dead," each said in unison.

**Okay, not my best chapter, but I didn't know what else to write. The main purpose of this chapter was kind of hopefully to let you guys know who the princess was, cuz no one seems to be getting it…the princess is actually Serenity, so…yeah. Anyway, I hope you liked despite the crappy aspects. Consider being my beta-reader, and plz review!**


	21. Let's Escape

**Disclaimer and notes: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I wish I did. And I'm updating…yeah. Um…read on, everyone.**

Bakkus and Talia neared the edge of town. The place was swarming with people in cloaks, with no seen explanation for it all. And off in the distance, was their prince, the princess, and their fellow servant being held by more people in cloaks!

"Talia! Do you see that?" Bakkus asked.

"Oh my gosh! Jonan!" Talia gasped. "And Theodore! And the _princess_! We need to help them, Bakkus!"

"What can we do? We're just servants!" Bakkus protested.

"Well, there's got to be _something_!" Talia cried desperately. She looked around. "Um…there!" She pointed to a couple people dueling in the streets. She'd spotted the very real-looking holograms. "We can use those creatures to scare them off!"

"I'm not going near those!" Bakkus snapped at her. He didn't have much choice. Talia dragged him off, totally ignoring his protests.

"Excuse me!" she called to the duelists. "May we borrow those creatures?" The duelists looked at her like she was nuts, which, in all honesty, she kind of was.

"We're in the middle of a duel, lady!" one guy said to her.

"See?" Bakkus said as though he knew exactly what they were talking about. "They're in the middle of a duel; let's not disturb them, okay, honey?" He tried to walk off, but Talia pulled him back.

"How do you control them?" Talia asked; but she stopped. One man placed a card on the duel disk and it instantly appeared on the street. Talia didn't hesitate to snatch up a duel disk and run off, the guy shouting after her. She ran with Bakkus back to where the prince was. "Can you help me figure this out?" she asked Bakkus. He looked at it.

"I think…you just put this thing here…" he began, placing a Black Forest Dragon card on one of the duel disk spaces, "…and it shows up! Yes!" The monster immediately appeared in front of the cloaked men. Startled, they let go of their captives, who made a break for it.

"This way!" Talia called, directing the three down another street. They left Machete fuming in the street, along with the duel disk. Once they were far enough away, they stopped to catch their breath.

"Bakkus! Talia!" Theodore cried. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"How did you do that?" Serena asked.

"People can somehow control monsters with a strange device in this world," Talia explained. "Oh, and it's good to see you well, princess."

"Well, you saved our lives," Jonan said. "You shall both be rewarded when we return to my kingdom. Oh, and…" he looked pointedly at Bakkus, "…your little attempted robbery shall be overlooked."

Bakkus turned bright red and Talia whacked him upside the head. The white-haired servant bowed. "I thank you, my prince."

"Well, now we just need to figure out what to do," Serena said, obviously in concentration. "I say we find this 'Yugi.'"

"Yugi?" Talia asked.

"Yugi is apparently a powerful person," Jonan explained. "Perhaps he can help us return to my kingdom."

"But where do we find him?" inquired Bakkus. "We don't even know where to start!"

"Point duly noted, Bakkus," Jonan said thoughtfully.

"Some of those men in cloaks were to find him, weren't they?" Theodore said. "Perhaps if we follow some of them…"

"They're all over the place," Talia interrupted, shaking her head. "It wouldn't do us any good."

"I think I can help you." Everyone turned to the voice. It was Kabat, standing there was a smug look on his face. Behind him was a very meek boy.

"Kabat," Jonan said. "What do you know?" Kabata came over to the group, the little boy following closely at his heels.

"I've been following Machete and his new servants for some time now," replied the wealthy and very smug man. "I know where they've been; I can help you find this Yugi person."

"And why would you want to assist me, Kabat?" Jonan asked. "What's your obligation?"

"I want out of this place," Kabat answered bluntly. Jonan sighed.

"Fair enough," he said. "Lead the way."

They headed down the street, going for Yugi's house. They would be waging their own war soon…and back in their home…another war was about to begin…

**Well…it was better than the last, but still pretty bad. But I updated! Aren't you happy? Well…um..please review…**


End file.
